


Black Feathers -ON HOLD-

by Tinawrites



Category: One Piece
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blood Kink, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, God Complex, Graphic Description, Human Trafficking, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Manipulation, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death, Older Man/Younger Woman, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Sexual Violence, Size Kink, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-01-15 23:59:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12331452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinawrites/pseuds/Tinawrites
Summary: This story follows the nameless female that fell in the Heavenly Demon's clutches where she faces a far more twisted fate than death itself......why?Because she triggered the vile and sickening memories of Doflamingo and he intends to correct the events from all those years ago.





	1. Note

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts somewhere around Luffy's training, another thing is the "nameless" part even though our main female character is original the reason for that will be later debunked.  
> With that said, I hope I don't disappoint anyone.  
> Thank you for choosing to read my story.
> 
> -Tina-

Tags have been edited.   
Updates are irregular.


	2. Chapter one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.

Squinting my eyes farther a sigh left me as I scanned the dark waters for any sign of land. It was already so late and dark, the temperature has dropped quite significantly during the last couple of hours. the cold air kept hitting my face rapidly that I no longer felt any muscle. Raising my glasses up the bridge of my numb nose, I sniffled again. Said glasses not really doing their job as my eyes kept watering from the intense wind. My whole face scrunched in discomfort as a sneeze rippled through my throat, I groaned loudly at the petty state I was in. Glancing down I stared at the peaceful scenery, quietly admiring the sea as it glimmered, reflecting the starry sky. The moon was full, bright light radiating across the murky night. Aside from the slightly misty sky it was a decent weather, the silent atmosphere added an intimidating vibe to the whole thing, but it wasn't odd.... I quiet enjoyed it. Although the light was shining against the deep blue water, it failed to reach anything past the surface.

The thought of not knowing what is swarming beneath me gives me anxiety. And as tiring as flying is, it's a whole lot better option. This ability gave me freedom to travel anywhere I desired without losing the sense of safety that sailing deprived. Plus, I'm not so easily trusting to sail with anyone, and doing it alone is just plain stupid. Despite the overwhelmingly exhausting flight hours, I always managed to pull through.

 

I clicked my tongue in annoyance....  _I’m so tired..._ I have been flying for so many consecutive hours, it was kind of surprising that I haven't collapsed yet. Those two hours of rest felt so long ago, and it wasn't even a decent rest… Still, that broken raft felt so tempting at the moment. It was always like this, taking breaks whenever I spot an abandoned boat, or a big rock bulging from the ocean. 

At this point I was barley moving my wings, my back felt like it was on fire, and my muscles would spasm occasionally. As convenient as this devil fruit is, it is quiet the tasking one. It devours my energy like a famished beast. My thoughts drifted to the day I obtained it... it was about five or six years ago on the island that I ‘lived’ in. Some guy came to the island on a small boat, claiming to sell various things (mostly weapons) at reasonable prices. My younger self was merely intrigued by the only thing the locals would ignore every time, a devil fruit. Some would even call him out for spouting nonsense, and I admit that it was kind of sketchy. Looking back now I know why so many dismissed that opportunity, but I guess I can't be too mad about it since it worked out for me.

Hearing people mumble about it, scoffing at the ridiculous illusion that something like devil fruits exists only fired me up even more, and being the very persistent curious brat I was, it intrigued me even more. So much, that I ended up pick pocketing a few unfortunate locals to have it. I still remember the feeling of pride and excitement despite the nagging negative thoughts that kept repeating over and over again how foolish it was to believe in devil fruits. nonetheless, I gobbled it up while grimacing in distaste.

It was the hope that kept a street kid like myself from plunging into darkness, and it was the exact same thing that kept convincing me that what I ate wasn’t a fake fruit, sneakily feeding my mind half-assed excuses and lies. It was frustrating, I was never one for waiting...and after one week, the thought of ever leaving this place seemed farfetched and hopeless...  _maybe I should do something to initiate it?  ..._ I have never known or met anyone who had eaten a devil fruit, so I was left to figure it out with no help. I scoffed at the irony... _the one time I would voluntarily civilize no one is useful, huh?_

On the second week my back started hurting  _really_  bad...it wasn't a normal backache, it was so intense I had to sometimes lay on my spot. Having no choice but to blame the bumpy ground and uncomfortable trees that I'd usually sleep on, I endured it silently. It was at night that I jolted awake to a wave of excruciating pain surging from the tips of my fingers all the way to my core, leaving me panting and shaking perplexedly. I had grunted in discomfort as I slowly sat up, suddenly letting out a cry of agony when another wave hit me. I remember feeling paranoid, frantically looking through the open area for attackers, and despite the lack of light it was clear no one was around. Reaching to physically search for any injuries instead, but frowning in confusion when none was found.

I had no idea what was happening or how to stop it, and I had helplessly bit my chapped lips until blood filled my mouth. I panted on my hands and knees, arching my back with wild eyes every time a burning sensation would bite me. My limbs had given up after a while, and I slumped heavily with a groan at the contact with the hard ground. It was like I was dreaming as the pain disappeared, leaving me behind numb and aching. I had sighed deeply and closed my eyes trying to breathe normally again.

Waking up the next day wasn't a fun experience at all, I was all over the place... confused, aching, and hungry. I had sat up too quickly almost braking something inside, and groaned when my back protested furiously as it throbbed painfully.  _It wasn't a dream, then what happened? what could have caused such a thing? surely a solid reason wasn't because of where I sleep, right?_ All kinds of questions were swirling in my mind, but so little answers were there. The vile taste of iron had reached my nose, and I spat out a bile of blood and saliva grimacing in disgust.

_"Tch...filthy"_

That same pain kept visiting me very often for two weeks, and I would pass out each time waking up frustrated and sore.

 _Hmm?_ I snapped out of my trance to the sight of an island, a big one at that. Gigantic rocks surrounded the outskirts of it, as if it was a damn fortress.   _Fucking finally, I was starting to think I was going in circles...._ Though it seemed a very convenient time to arrive, it was so late in the night, not a sound was heard. I scanned a few streets but not a soul was out. _That's good ...._  It was a proper time to land without worrying about anything, or confusing anyone. Unwanted attention is never a good thing.

As I surveyed the island thorough fully it dawned to me just how massive it was. I caught a glimpse of the tallest building as it seemed pretty hard to miss since it towered over the whole place.  _Is that a palace?_ I internally wondered scoffing at the thought of the rich classy fuckers residing there. well, whatever it is, I just have to be quick and quiet. I’d be in a shit ton of trouble if I get caught in a Royal place no less.

 

Aiming for an open window, I headed straight to it, landing with a small thud. _I just have to lurk my way out._.. After a quick scanning it was obvious the room was empty. I was in a mild daze at just how luxurious everything looked...  _They really went all out, didn't they?_ Everything was either gold plated or covered in dark fancy wood, courtesy of being a privileged shit. Tucking my wings a little, I went to step off of the window sill when a slight creaking sound echoed through the silent room. My head Snapped towards the thick double doors just in time someone walked in. Their features were sheltered by the shadows, but it didn't need a smartass to figure out that this was no ordinary individual.  _Fuck that's huge...Is that even human?_   

My eyes widened in alert when the mysterious figure was visible. The strange man was calmly watching me, before he slightly tilted his head humming questionably. Chewing my lower lip in thought, I shifted in my place already forming an escape plan...  _Fuck, this man is clearly not the negotiating type. He probably thinks I'm a thief._ Keeping my eyes on him for any sudden movement, I quietly watched as his brows furrowed disappearing under his pointed glasses. Already I don't like this one bit. _Is he really wearing sunglasses at night? ....._ At any other time, I would probably sneer at this, commenting on how ridiculous it was, but being here in this heavy atmosphere gave me the creeps instead. Under those odd shaped glasses, I felt his gaze, heavy and predatory... It was too intense to say the least. It only served to wreck my nerves when he stayed eerily still, like he was waiting for something to happen.... And I would have already fled if it weren't for the eyes that I knew were pinning me to my spot, as if secretly challenging me to move a muscle.... But deep down I knew I was too rigid to do anything.  _Shit...I can barely move my fingers..._ I wasn't one for fighting, not because I was a coward, but because I wasn't trained well... Even though I knew the basic defending moves, I wasn't a fighter. I lacked the physiques. I have had a couple of face-offs with a fair amount of people, but         there were very few ones that managed to make me go in this state of stiffness.

I can feel my panic rising and my thoughts tumbling. I found myself unable to shake the feeling of uneasiness, it frustrated me somehow. I have been in deeper shit in the past years, yet I’m this worked up... he still hasn't even attacked yet.... ** _yet._**

Clenching my sweaty hands tightly, I kept observing him. My breathing halted momentarily when I heard the lapping of heels as he took a long stride to where I stood. Even though the window was high off the ground, he still towered over me....  _Alarmingly_  close.  _Wait wait...fuck this is bad. I have to get the fuck out NOW!_ that was easier said than actually done. My legs wouldn't budge no matter how hard I tried moving. My eyes were glued to his face, and I gulped slightly at my reflection on his glistening sunglasses. He tilted his head seeming to look past me, I tensed in realization at what caught his attention.... _No no no fuck..._  my wings. My mind instantly filled with twisted thoughts... _He is going to rip them off and watch me bleed to death.... He might even use them to make another coat._ He seemed to like feathers, judging by the pink fluffy coat slightly draped over broad muscular shoulders. Eyes darting up to his face, my breathing hitched at the sudden change in atmosphere. He had a dark aura swirling around like shadows dancing in madness, it promised no good. Eyes covered preventing anyone from reading him. Goosebumps rose, and a chill ran down my spine when his cold emotionless face broke into a wide sneering smile. I felt my body shrivel... _God._

_"Who are you"_

His deep, yet smooth voice demanded in a tone full of authority, which gave me the idea that this man gave out orders on a daily basis. I frowned in displeasure, even if I could answer... I wouldn't just straight out tell him. _Who'd do that?_ It was a problem though; I didn't want to completely ignore his question, simply because something in my gut told me it wasn't wise to piss him off in my semi frozen state. Still, this ability somehow wouldn't allow me to talk when my wings were out, it was as if my tongue goes numb I barley feel it. Biting my lips, I slowly tried to move my legs.

 A knock was at the door yet we kept staring at each other, despite my slight relief at the diversion, I wasn't naive to actually be distracted by it. A smooth voice sounded through the door.

 _"Doffy, our guy has come back"_  A second later, the same door cracked open slightly.

The pink feathered guy looked over his shoulder lazily, and that was all I needed as I leaned heavily backwards as if falling, spreading my wings widely to gain leverage against the wind.

                                                                                                      

Doflamingo kept staring at the now empty spot before he strode over, completely closing the distance to the once occupied spot, to look at the silent view of Dressrosa. Feeling something extremely soft against his callous hand, he clutched it carefully bringing it to his sight. It was a single smooth black feather, shining under the moon with hints of silver running through it. He mesmerized it curiously. It was soft, softer than the feathers on his coat. It was a unique color too.

 _"Doffy... "_ a voice pulled him back and he turned fully to meet a puzzled Diamante. 

 _"let's go”_ Doflamingo sighed as he walked out with Diamante trailing behind quietly.

 Slipping the feather in the pocket of his flashy pants, Doflamingo's thoughts drifted back to the owner of it, and how interesting their encounter was. Her curious yet alarmed eyes flashed in his mind and he felt an excitement tug in his stomach. He licked his lip, smirking devilishly... _oh I will find you, little bird..._ With a promise left on the air, he felt a thrilling sensation spread through him. He looked forward to meet the mysterious bird he longed to catch.

                                                                                                      

 _Fuck that was close_... wind kept not so gently hitting my face but that was due to the reckless speed I was flying in as I kept working my pace as fast as possible. All that was on my mind was to get  away from that dreadful place.I'm definitely going to feel like shit when the adrenaline vanishes, I huffed in defeat.   _what the hell was that about anyway?_ A wrenching feeling in my gut told me to get off of this island this instant, but reasonably I can't just fuck up my log pose like that if I wanted to continue my way across The New World... also I was unable to without charging my energy, the next island is probably days away, that's why I needed supply and data. So I Decided to call it a night and find a place to sleep.

I smoothly landed on a two story building, rolling around to ease the impact and standing up instinctively looking around, satisfied when I sensed nothing, I quickly but painfully retracted my wings back to my body, feeling the cold liquid seep into my blood vessels. After a few groans and curses it was finally over...  _This never gets any less painful_. Sighing deeply, I hopped to the neighboring building then on top of a closed dumpster.

 _"Now..."_  looking left and right, I debated my next destination. I tugged the straps of my backpack and headed left, strolling down the dark empty street of the nameless island.

 

A pair of awe struck eyes followed the mysterious female that was completely unaware that someone  _was_ in fact nearby when she landed, her back exposed to them. That back that had the most beautiful, and silky midnight black feathers.

  _"Whoa...so beautiful."_  the stranger mumbled in amusement still keeping an eye on the intriguing female until she rounded a corner and disappeared out of sight, leaving a bewildered witness behind. The stranger cursed out standing up from the curb they were sitting on, and dashed towards the same corner.

 

 _Hmm… There isn't possibly a place still open now_. It wasn't so often that I care where I slept, as long as it was a hidden place (preferably high off the ground). But this island did give me the chills, and scouring it earlier confirmed my doubt of it not having a forest of some kind.  _I guess I just have to find a safe enough place to fucking ~~die~~  sleep already_. The sudden urge to have coffee struck me and I found myself frowning when I remembered I was low on money for a while now. Fuck... The thought of having to find a job of some kind made me want to rip my hair out in irritation. It wasn't because of anything other than the cocky shits who do hire for a few hours, and admittedly I loathed socializing. Well only if it was necessary and in MY favor. As much as I hated it, I still needed money to restock. Who knew how long the trip to the next island is going to take. A few days? Weeks? I clicked my tongue in annoyance.  _This is a pain in the ass. This is all a pain in the ass honestly._  It was a liberating feeling to be able to go anywhere, but that came with unpredictable flight difficulties, harsh weather, and uncomfortable back pains.

A warm but firm grasp on my wrist took me by surprise and I turned around alarmed. My eyes landing on a man? Or is he a boy? A man with a very young looking features, he was probably my age or younger. Brown curly hair was pushed carelessly to the side, revealing bright curious eyes. Even though his face was similar to that of a small boy’s, his tall lean physique was of a young man. Snatching my wrist and narrowing my eyes suspiciously, I snapped 

_"What the hell do you want?"_

I really hate interaction with anyone, more so, I hate that I literally have to crank my neck up to look at him... _What's with this place and being tall?_  My stubborn ass would never admit just how short I was, and I kept it that way. Speaking of which... _Who the hell is this dude?_   _Yanking people around like it was a normal thing_. When my glare hardened, he seemed to realize what he had done.

  _"Uhh… Sorry if I took you by surprise. I'm Finny!"_ A small smile tugged at his lips in a polite manner, his eyes delicately creasing, and he tilted his head slightly making curls cloud his vision. I pursed my lips silently... _This...asshole can't be serious. He must be doing it on purpose, no way in fuck a man is this dainty nowadays._ Still as he spoke, a faint smell of cigarette lingered in the air. 

 _"Well Finny... you still haven't answered my question."_ I snapped again making sure to emphasis his name harshly. I remained cautious, paying attention to anything unusual in his behavior. 

 _"I was puffing a smoke outside, then I saw you...you're not form here, right?"_ He answered smoothly shoving his hands in his brown pants with a smile.

  _That still wasn't an answer..._ I sighed grumpily.  _Well it did explain the smell..._ But the fact that it was almost 2 past midnight, made it extra fucking suspicious.  _Who the hell smokes at this time?_  A throbbing pain crawled all the way up my spine, leaving a dull burning sensation that forced me to bow slightly, lowly hissing... _Fuck, I should lay down._

My mind ignored the pain, as I tried to focus on my surroundings instead. Even though Finny seemed like an annoying brat at first, he was an observant annoying brat. He managed to pinpoint that I'm not a local, and I doubted that he knew every single person on this island. Although he had asked for a confirmation, it seemed pointless since his tone was full of confidence.... Like it was something he was adamant about, which left me slightly confused whether it was a good or bad thing on my behalf.

 _Shit this day keeps getting shittier with each passing minute_.... My thoughts went back to the encounter with the mysterious man from earlier and I felt a cold sweat... _Fuck this. This island is too suspicious and creepy. I can't wait to get the fuck off of it, and never come back_. 

 _".. Oi.."_  a voice snapped me out of my thoughts, I blinked stunned to see two grey orbs watching me intently... That wasn't it, Finny was bent all the way to my height. His face was too damn close; I could feel his breath on me as the distinctive smell of tobacco mixed with a faint cologne filled my nostrils. 

 _"W-what are you doing?"_ I hissed taking two steps back. Adjusting the round glasses up my pierced nose, I glared at him. 

Raising his hands in front of him, he just simply shrugged grinning like a five-year-old. 

 _"I'm leaving."_  I huffed as I turned around and resumed walking. 

A pair of brown boots strolled next to me and I clenched my jaw in pure irritation. Deciding to just ignore him, I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from lashing out.  _What is his problem? Doesn't he have a place to go to? Why the hell is he still following me? Why me of all people?_ I wasn't the most approachable... oh no, I have spent years in perfecting a cold and stoic demeanor, along with a sharp tongue. Then again, it wasn't that hard considering my very personal and uptight nature.

 _"What now?"_ I sighed loudly, it has been a solid few minutes and he wasn't backing down.

 _"What's with you? Go away"_ I gave him a side glare to make my point AND annoyance clear, but judging by the small tug of his lips, he wasn't going anywhere.

I stomped the soles of my leather shoes harder as I picked up my pace in an attempt to shake him off, but that asshole wasn't the least bit bothered considering his longer legs it wasn't affecting him.  My bottled frustration blew and I snapped.

 _"Don't you have somewhere to be other that creepily following me around?!"_  I was honestly so close to using the dagger securely strapped to my right thigh.

 _"Creepily?"_ he threw his head back and laughed. 

 My eyebrows twitched at his easiness despite me lashing out a couple of seconds ago, he was completely missing the point of my anger. His laugh died down with a small shake of his head, and a smile lingering on his face.

_"I do actually, it's nearby. Which is where I'm headed."_

When his answer registered, I felt my face slightly heat up, I slowed my pace avoiding him. Asshole, I can  _feel_  his cocky smirk.

 _"You should have said something."_  It came out as a slight mumble, and I felt grumpy all of the sudden.

 _"My bad"_  He softly replied, causing me to frown deeply.

_Why is he apologizing? He does realize I misjudged him, yet he makes it seem like it's his fault nonetheless. Is he really that polite? Or is he simply naive? Probably both._

_"Here it is."_  He exclaimed, stopping suddenly. Brushing a few curls out of his sight, he turned fully to stand in front of me.

 _"What is?"_  I halfheartedly asked.

 _"My stop"_  He simply stated, pointing his thumb towards a sign behind him. It read  **Barney's Bar**.

 _"I work and live here."_  He answered the hanging question. 

 _"Good, I thought I'd be stuck with you tailing me all night."_  I harshly dismissed him, but eased my frown anyway.

He grinned, scratching his neck sheepishly.  _Seriously this guy is a dork…_

 _"Wanna come in? You don't look like you have a place to stay, and we have empty rooms you can use for cheap."_ He offered suggestively.

He was already walking to the door, and I shrugged following behind _.... How convenient._ He opened the wooden door, swiftly closing it behind after us. The place was surprisingly specious compared to its outer appearance. Chairs were propped up the tables, and an oil lamp provided a dim light. 

 _"Up here."_  Following his directions, we walked up the short staircase in union. The sound of wood creaking beneath us filled the silence. The second floor had a small corridor, leading to a tiny window and had doors on each side. In the center it had a small table with a frail candle softly illuminating the area.

 _"In here"_  He walked to a door on the farther left, and quickly fished a key out of his front pocket, hurriedly opening it. Following suit, I patiently waited as he abandoned the door, leaving it ajar and passed me to rummage through the nightstand. Briskly getting out a candle, he used his lighter.

The faint light bounced off the walls, giving me a glance of the room. A single bed was in the middle, a small window on the opposite wall, and finally a chair pushed against a corner. 

 _"What do you think?"_  Even though shadows seemed to swallow him, his huge grin was evident in his enthusiastic tone.

 _"Not bad, I'll take it."_  I replied giving him a curt nod.

 _"Alright, I'll see you in the morning."_  With that he turned to leave, seeming to have remembered something he abruptly stopped and turned his head slightly.

 _"G-good night"_  With a small smile he was gone, softly closing the door behind.

A long drawn sigh left me as I dropped my bag to the floor. Quickly striding to the door, I locked it and double checked.

Slumping down on the bed, I took off my shoes tucking them aside, and did the same to my glasses and knife, placing both on the nightstand carefully. Falling heavily without bothering to get under the sheets, I was almost knocked out.

  _"Night...asshole"_  I muttered incoherently, already half asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.

There was chaos everywhere, people screaming in agony, fire devouring buildings like an open feast while the disturbing smell of blood, dust and ash filled the air. _What’s this? Where am I?_

It was weird, as If it was a memory unveiling before my eyes…yet I couldn’t tell if it belonged to me or if it was someone else’s. Just as I heard a scream, everything was pitch black like curtains closing at the end of a movie.

It felt like I was floating. wherever I was, it seemed completely swallowed by darkness. Unsure if  I even had my eyes open, I reached a head above me, almost as if grabbing onto something in an attempt to pull myself out of this unnerving darkness, but to no avail. It seemed like no matter how far I tried to reach, I was only plunged deeper helplessly…. _why does this feel familiar?_

I woke up with a sharp intake of air, my chest felt tight and my head pounded like crazy. I groaned as I sat up slowly, holding my head in my hands I tried to soothe the headache away by pressing firmly onto my temples. _What the fuck?_ That’s the first time I’ve seen that one, yet it felt so familiar... like a vivid memory. I knew for a fact I have never seen that town in this particular ~~dream~~ nightmare before, and although all the faces were blurry and unfocused I didn’t recognize their choice of clothes. It could be in fact a memory from **_that time_**? _I wonder if it is._ Growing up it never occurred in my dreams though… _why now of all times?_

 _“Ugghh..”_ I felt my head throb from thinking this early in the morning… I need coffee… a strong black cup of caffeine will surely numb this headache. I reached for my glasses putting them on and swiftly re-strapped the knife snugly around my thigh. I got up ignoring the ache in my back and legs making my way to the bag left on the floor. crouching down painfully I shuffled for a few seconds before retrieving a golden pocket watch to check the time….8 AM

  _“Tch..”_ irritation filled me as I realized I only had a few hours of sleep…. _not even a solid six hours?_ _I think I deserved it after all the flying hours_ … and all thanks to a certain cheery motherfucker that kept wasting my time until 3 AM _“Fuck”_ muttering in annoyance  I quickly put my shoes, slung my bag and headed to the door counting in pairs to keep my grumpiness from over taking.

Loud voices followed by the clicking of glass was the first thing that reached my ears and my mood soured instantly…. _Well looks like I’m stuck in land of fucking cheery people over here_ … how can someone be this happy and energetic at the crack ass of morning is beyond me. Sighing I made my way downstairs … _wow its filled, almost stuffed in here_ …. Mostly guys.. _Are they really drinking beer at this time?._

At this point I was done with this island. Creepy at night and apparently very fucking drunk and merry in the morning. A hand clasped my left shoulder and I was about ready to throw a fit of rage… _what now?...is he going to follow me around again? I can’t deal with him now, I need at least a couple cups of coffee to function. Let alone be **friendly**_. Swallowing a groan I turned around dreadfully.

 _“Good morning!”_ his smile was wide and full of joy and I fought back an immediate cringe. My face was expressionless, almost bored as I instead kept my gaze on the tray full of empty glasses that he carried on one open palm. The place reeked of so much sweat and alcohol it was almost compelling me to get the fuck out, but I was so close to snapping I really needed that cup of coffee… more like _yearned_ for it. Silently removing his hand from my shoulder I muttered in a monotone manner.

  _“I need coffee.”_

 Slowly lifting my eyes from the tray to connect with his steely ones. he seemed baffled for a moment before he spoke up again _“Hm?...oh yeah! We have coffee, how’d you like yours?”_ he smiled again as he started walking towards the bar’s counter, following behind I nonchalantly mumbled.

  _“Cold and bitter.”_

Dropping my bag haphazardly on the floor, I took a seat on an empty stool and tiredly held my head in my hands frowning in distress.

 _“You got it.”_ I faintly heard his voice before he shuffled somewhere.  

It seemed that the lads weren’t holding back at all, as the clicking and laughter got louder it was proving to be quite the challenge to **stay calm** _... honestly, don’t they have anything better to do than just carelessly getting drunk? In the morning no less._

A slight movement caught my attention and I snapped my eyes fully open, swiftly reaching for my dagger in one hand, I used the other to keep my balance holding onto the wooden counter firmly. The sharp edge of the knife was dangerously close to the newcomer’s throat, he was a man in his thirties and he reeked of so much alcohol it was a wonder he hasn’t dropped dead yet. Eyes darkening as my scowl deepened, I kept my breathing under control but failed to stop the wave of dizziness that took me…. Ignoring it, I growled maliciously

_“Don’t even try.”_

 It was a cold yet simple warning and he seemed too shocked to form words, instead he nodded frantically as if surrendering _“Good call buddy.”_ Removing my weapon slowly, he stayed still as if to make sure I wouldn’t attack him. Gulping thickly he scrambled away and to his table, where a couple more douches just roared in laughter at him. Sheathing the dagger back another sigh left me. 

 _“You seem… tense.”_ Finny’s voice stated as he came from somewhere with a mug in hand, placing it in front of me.

 _“Shut up”_ I snapped already reaching for the coffee.

Deciding to just enjoy this moment I took a long sip appreciating the strong aroma and heavy bitter aftertaste against my tongue… _it’s been a while_.

 _“Get me another one.”_ I demanded giving him a mere glance before finishing the rest up.

 _“How’d you like your room?”_ he gingerly asked as he turned around and began making another cup while waiting for an answer.

 _“Good enough.”_ I muttered impatiently eyeing the cup in eager fashion.

 _“That’s good to hear.”_ He smiled placing a second cup down.

Downing the second cup faster than the first, I got up pulling a few coins for the room and drinks placing them on the space between us. Taking the bag, I slung it and turned ready to leave.

 _”Wait!”_ Finny called as he rushed around the counter, his face in a frown. _“Aren’t you staying for another night?”_

 _What? What does he have to do with where I go?_ Giant red flags alarmed the more rational and paranoid side of me and my senses suddenly heightened. His clingy behavior made him suspicious and I was still a foreigner to this island and its … _nature_ , with that in mind it seemed unwise to trust or even communicate with anyone. I need information and money, and I need them fast.

 _“No”_ it came out as a semi growl. I narrowed my eyes to prove my point but partially wary of his intentions.

A faint but persistent voice kept repeating over and over almost like a mantra **_Remember trust no one_** …. _Fuck I know that_! I gritted my teeth when it kept going on… the voice increasing in pitch, it was hollering at this point. Turning around I resumed walking in hope of shutting this damn voice up. I took deep, full breaths reaching for the entrance door’s handle, but a hand pulled me backwards by the wrist. My mouth opened in surprise and I almost stumbled before I quickly planted my heel balancing myself back.

_“Wait!... I need to tell you something!”_

I had almost asked what the fuck happened when _his_ voice spoke up. _This guy…does he think he can go around pulling people whenever it’s convenient or some shit? I swear to god if he does it again, I will stab him.. that’s for sure._

 _“What the hell do you think you’re doing, idiot?”_ I snarled already irritated and angry. Harshly pulling my wrist and placing my hand firmly on top of my dagger throwing a warning glare at him. His face looked distraught, eyes lowering to the weapon gulping slowly. He Raised his eyes carefully only to flinch back and left his hands up in a _calming_ manner.

  _It’s not any better than the knife_ … Finny nervously thought, as his eyes stared at those narrowed dark eyes that screamed madness. Yet, somehow contrasted well with the round unique glasses… Finny knew that no one would be able to pull them off like her. Her eyes weren’t the only intense thing about her though, as  her sharp features were evident despite the various soft freckles scattered on her skin. His grey eyes trailed from her high cheekbones, to her lips that were pulled in a tight line….. she looked pretty even when mad. His eye contact broke briefly, and he felt a slight flush spread from his neck upwards…. _what the hell!! Focus! She might stab you!_ A small voice scolded him and he opted to act fast before she actually does.

 _“listen, I’m sorry…j-just five minutes? I really have to tell you something.”_ He scrambled out words so quickly, he wasn’t sure she understood him. Letting go of the dagger and instead crossing her arms while pining him with an urging glare, gave him a BIG hint that he’d better start talking. _She’ll listen._

He added cautiously _“In private.”_

She nodded half dubious but followed him as he led the way back to the room she spent the night in. Internally going over his decision, and wondering what the outcome would be, he hoped everything goes smoothly.

  ~~~~~~~~

_What the hell is up with him? What could he possibly have to say that he’s this desperate? I guess I’ll find out soon_. He opened the door and went first, standing by the small bed. Opting to stay next to the door, I simply crossed my arms and waited silently. His eyes trailed across the ground before wiping his palms on his pants and starting with a small voice

 _“I saw you yesterday...”  what? Is he for real playing dumb and wasting my time_? A spark of annoyance was ignored as I leaned against the wall and swallowed my irritation.

_“elaborate”_

He seemed to be struggling to explain whatever he had in mind... _seriously what’s gotten into him?... this idiot._

 _“I was taking a walk smoking nearby a curb…. then I heard a thud coming from across the street. I went to check it out, at first it was quite dark and unclear, but as I squinted my eyes I could make out the outline of something-...”_ he paused swallowing heavily as he took a seat on the bed, re-wiping his hands _“At first I thought it was a thief, but what caught my eyes was a pair of huge wings...”_ my eyes fiercely narrowed, lips drawing upside down and I tensed in alert. Good thing this idiot kept his eyes downwards as he rambled, otherwise it’d have been a straight giveaway to his assumption.

 He was oblivious as he continued on _“So I followed the said shadow into a corner and.... I found you there.”_ He finished, slowly raising his head until our eyes met. My eyes were icy, face emotionless…bored even. Then again, that’s how I always look.

 _“I see”_ I quietly announced, still keeping my eyes on him. He seemed surprised at my calmness … _idiot, what are you insinuating_? If it were someone else, they’d laugh right at his face. Would even call him crazy and delusional for even talking about the idea of people with wings as if it were a casual thing.

 _“And? …you tell me because?”_ I simply asked, waiting for an answer I already knew.

_“you... it was you, wasn’t it?”_

He stood up smiling anxiously. His eyes were almost begging for an answer and he seemed strained, fidgeting and sweating. He looked _disturbing_ in a way.

I uncrossed my arms keeping them stiffly by my side, to ensure that I can reach either the door handle or my dagger if anything **goes down**.

 _“Mr. Finny… you do realize what you are saying?”_ despite it being a provocative question, my tone was sharp and calculated as I kept him pinned under my gaze.

His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted… he looked _odd._ He kept opening and closing his mouth as if debating what to say, he furrowed his brows seemingly trying to find something… anything to say. He wiped the sweat off on his pants, _an act of nervousness_  .... he finally spoke again.

 _“I know what I saw.”_ He whispered faintly as his eyes were trained solely on the carpeted floor, as if trying to convince **it** that he wasn’t going insane and seeing things _._

It was silent for a while and I was becoming more and more fed up with this. I need to start my day already, _I got shit to do_ … yet here I am stuck with this noisy asshole wasting my precious time, and much valuable energy.

 _‘'Is that all? I’m leaving.”_ I turned around about ready to get the fuck out _bolting_ if I have to.

 _“Wait! You didn’t answer me yet!”_ he exclaimed rather loudly.

I turned my head to throw a glare full of irritation, hissing harshly.

 _“What’s there to answer!”_ it wasn’t a question and he knew it, judging by the slump of his shoulders as his whole demeanor fell gloomily.

 _For fuck’s sake!... it’s never my goddamn luck to just go somewhere without trouble coming right up my face._ It was a very delicate situation. I knew I couldn’t confirm his theory (for obvious reasons), nor completely dismiss and ignore it. Who knew? He would probably tail me around secretly, and that wasn’t a good thing even though I wasn’t going to use my wings for the next few days.

I still need to tend to my affairs, and he only kept hindering me by wasting my time with his nonsense. I guess I don’t have much of a choice at this point. With a loud, weary sigh I gave up.

_“Come on, get your ass out. I need to lock up.”_

His head snapped seemingly confused for a second, before his face broke in a big joyful smile…. _fuck, that’s too bright_ … weirdly enough, it was kind of reassuring in a way that he was back to his _usual_ self, it was better than having him up my business trying to expose me. I grimaced at the thought of a bunch of people hunting me down.I knew how to take care of two, three hardly.. but more than that is too much for just me and a single barely sharp dagger.

 _“Really? You are staying?”_ his voice was eager as he rushed to get out of the room on unsteady legs. I was already dreading this to say the least.

 _“Yes idiot.”_ I mumbled half focused on locking the door, quickly tucking the key in a side pocket inside my bag. I frowned at his weird sudden change in mood..  _why was HE the one excited?_

 _“Creep”_ I muttered lowly already half way down the stairs, heading to the exit door once again while trying to ignore the awfully familiar presence practically flying down the stair.

 _“Where are you going?”_ he excitedly asked while grinning ear to ear waiting for an answer.

_Not your business...._

_”Around”_ I boringly muttered.

Turning around fully to scold him I quickly added _“No…you can’t come along.”_

 I watched in slight amusement as his grin fell and he almost pouted like a grumpy cat. He huffed mumbling _“I wasn’t going to ask y-..”_ but he was interrupted right away.

 _“Yes you were.”_ Holding eye contact to emphasis my words. Giving him one last look I turned and headed out.

_“Fine!”_

I heard him yell childishly as I started walking farther into town.

 

The town looked colorful now that it’s daylight. Various buildings were scattered throughout the streets, ranging from size and color but equally as decorated with different flower beds… it seemed that florists make a shit ton of money here.

 From the looks of it, I was currently in a very busy district supposedly known for selling anything and everything. All kinds of shops lined the streets from both sides, offering a variety of products…all of that was dismissed as soon as a _very loud_ motherfucker yelled in my ear about his equally shitty discount. Throwing him a glower I moved on silently cursing him until I rounded a corner.

The town was unsurprisingly loud and fucking crowded with people chatting, arguing, and children playing. It was noisy and stuffy as fuck, and I found it hard to even breathe at some point. The weather was shitty too adding another factor to my slow suffocation.

Perhaps among all the things I have come across so far, nothing topped the toys in this odd island. _Living toys..._ walking, talking, and all around acting somewhat _humane_. It was unsettling indeed.

 

Walking into a small but somewhat secluded library I went to the counter where a female in her thirties occupied it. 

_“Excuse me, where can I find a map of this island?”_

She looked up from her journal, smiling lightly she pointed a boney pale finger somewhere and answered with a smooth tone.

_“Hello… you can find them in the geography isle. Third to your right.”_

Nodding I went on my way.

Taking a map, I unfolded it careful not to tear it since I’m only browsing not buying… I don’t have the leisure to do so. The last island was an exotic and abandoned forest with hardly any civilization. Thus, why I lacked money. Sighing I snapped back to the map closely reading the bold letters addressing it, it was titled ‘Dressrosa’. Humming lightly, I scanned the lesser spots surrounding Dressrosa. There were two main islands, significantly smaller than this one. One was all the way to the southeast from here, the other on the west. It seemed the latter was the closest of the two and no other information was listed on the map, not even a detailed visual of said islands.

Gritting my teeth, I replaced the map back and went for the counter again. The same lady smiled when she saw me approach her.

 _“How may I help you?”_ she politely asked.

 _“Do you have any information on the surrounding islands?”_ I blankly asked trying to keep my frustration under control, my patience wearing thin at the thought of having to travel with no preparation at all… _again_. It was risky and unnecessary.  

 _“There are three surrounding islands. Green Bit, which is prohibited for safety precautions, and is connected to Dressrosa via a bridge. The second is Mosso island which is a spring island, and It’s the furthest from here. Finally,  Hina island, it’s a very cold place with a lot of sudden winds. Regardless, it’s a nice place.”_ She finished with an inhale and smiled again.

 _“And how long does it take for a log pose to set?”_ I was already dreading the answer

 _“Three to four days.”_ I mentally sighed in relief…. _at least it’s not a week_.

 _“Anything else, Miss?”_ she asked with a gentle tone, it sounded too friendly and I frowned in discomfort.

It was at a time like this that my paranoia would intensify marking this stranger as a suspect of some sort. Not wanting to waste my time dwelling on useless thoughts, I shook my head and noted curtly.

_“No”_

_  
_

A wave of humid air hit me, and I welcomed the smell of salt lingering in the air as I pondered my next move.

Well I have primary information, although not as much as I planned for but it was better than nothing at least. I still need money… _I could work_... I shook my head discarding the idea, my body is still aching terribly and although it's somehow a usual pain that’s always there, I want to save as much energy and strength as possible during the next few days. Who knows how long it will take until the next stop?..knowing my luck and the New World’s shitty weather, it’ll probably be best to be fully prepared.

A jewelry store caught my attention and a small knowing smirk tugged at my lips…. _I guess I’ll lay off working for now_.

 

 _“Here ya go…1500 Belli”_ the stocky middle aged man handed me the money in a rush, and quickly picked the beaded necklace carefully placing it in a box to hide it from view.

 _Are you shitting me? He’s definitely ripping me off_ ……Fighting the urge to jump across the counter and yell in his face, I took the money and left. Not at all bothered with his skeptical glance, I instead headed towards a coffee stand to get another dosage.

 

_“Tch… too hot”_

It was almost noon, and the heat was only getting more and more intolerable, the streets were half empty too… _I guess I’ll head back for now_. Unconsciously grimacing at the thought of having a certain asshole ruining the mood, I detoured towards a mall center to escape both the heat and the headache (Aka Finny).

Three hours later, a meal, and multiple cups of coffee in vain attempt of staying conscious, I was spent. It was afternoon and the thought of sleeping was getting too tempting to turn down. _I should head back and sleep for a few hours since I barely slept, and then maybe go for a night scavenge… yeah sounds good._

 As I neared the place, the sounds only got louder and louder…. _So much for sleeping_. Frowning in newfound annoyance, I reached for the door only to have it almost slam in my face.

_“Tch..”  what the fuck?_

A pair of _clearly_ drunk pieces of shit emerged outside stumbling pathetically. Completely unaware of whatever is around them, they continued laughing as they walked away with zero fucks given to even acknowledge me. Sighing I got in, not caring to close the damn door behind desperately trying to get to my room unnoticed by a certain curly haired idiot ball.

_“You are back!”_

_Fuck me_.. slowly turning around, his face came through the crowd as he reached the bottom of the stairs, his grin as wide as ever. … _Why is he always smiling? Is he sick or just stupid? Definitely the latter._

Not bothering to turn all the way around to face him, I glanced behind my back lazily.

 _“Yes?”_ I muttered urging him to get it over with so I can go fucking fall unconscious already.

 _“Would you like to eat something?”_ he offered sweetly like a friend would, and I felt my stomach contract at that unfamiliar tone.

 _Why does he care whether I eat or not? Why does he care where I sleep? ......_ A surge of anger washed over me… _why? Why is he treating me like I’m somehow his friend?_ No one has ever done that, and the reason behind his actions suddenly grows more mysterious and sinister. _Is he doing it to earn my trust and then fool me into showing him my wings? Or is he spying on me so he and his accomplices can capture me easily and sell me? It’d get them quite the sum considering I’m not a normal human. He has probably already told them about what he saw yesterday…shit .. how could I be so careless? it was stupid of me to give in his act and stay for more than a night in one place… the last time I was this carele-.._

Images of scalpels, operating tables accompanied by the horrible stench of blood came back flooding, like a sick, gory movie playing. Remembering all the pain and suffering of having to be cut multiple times a day made my blood freeze and my muscles tense. A chill ran down my spine followed by cold sweat rolling in-between my shoulder blades, I felt too disgusted to even throw up. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths in an attempt of calming down, only to let a startled gasp, my hand flew to my chest clutching tightly over my heart when a pair of golden eyes gleaming sadistically burned through me. My chest felt like it was being crushed tightly until air left me. doubling over in a state of pure shock and pain, I gasped desperately trying to calm down enough to breathe normally again. _This is bad, I have to calm down before I die of a heart attack._

 _“oi…oi! Can you hear me?”_ A distant voice brought me back to the present, and I felt calmness slowly take over me when I realized where I exactly was.

I turned around, a deep glare set on my face and I swatted Finny’s hand harshly from my back.

 _“Stay away”_ I gritted in a cold, disconnected tone keeping my guard up.

 _“What happened? Are you okay?”_ he asked nervously face laced with concern, but taking a few steps back regardless.

My glare hardened at his tenacious attitude.

 _“Not your business…. here”_ I tossed the room’s key his way not even checking to see if he caught it or not, I made my way to the exit.

_“Whoa...wait!”_

Loud thuds were heard as he stumbled down the stairs and yelled louder this time.

_“Hey! Wait.” Ignore him._

I was already halfway down the street when I sensed him behind me closing in.

 _“What do you want?”_ I turned around and snapped, keeping a hand on the dagger cautiously.

 _“Why are you leaving? Didn’t you like the place?”_ his tone was almost whiny and he looked offended… as if I had insulted him.

 _“None of your business, and I already said it was good enough.”_ I deadpanned dismissively, but adding a more warning tone _“If you follow me, it’s your fault if you get stabbed.”_

With one last hard look, I resumed walking.

 _I hope that does the trick._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	4. Chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.

**_Previously :_ **

_“Why are you leaving? Didn’t you like the place?” his tone was almost whiney and he looked offended… as if I had insulted him._

_“None of your business, and I already said it was good enough.”  I deadpanned dismissively, but adding a more warning tone “If you follow me, it’s your fault if you get stabbed.” With one last hard look, I resumed walking._

 

 

 

Sighing for what seemed like the tenth time in a two-minute span I checked the time...5 Pm. It’s been a couple of hours of reading about devil fruits and their weaknesses, and the exhaustion has caught up with me. Standing up and dusting my dark pants, I closed the book and placed it back on it’s shelf. Slinging the bag, I headed straight to the library’s exit, not missing the enthusiastic chirp of the lady at the counter.

_“Come back again!”_

I need to find a place to stay in…. _fuck this island is going to drain me out of money quicker than I thought_ …. All because of its sketchy and uncomfortable vibe that doubled my paranoia. Eventually, I decided on a cheap inn, far away from the previous bar… I didn’t want to risk bumping into Finny.

 

Dumping the bag carelessly on the floor, I went to the curtains drawing them shut, and double checked the locks on the door. Kicking my shoes, I took my glasses off and headed to the connected bathroom. The room was slightly bigger than the one from the bar. But the bathroom was small with a sink, a toilet and a simple shower head in the corner. Peeling my clothes off, I stepped under the very thin stream of water. Despite it being too limited and narrow to shower correctly, the water was sizzling hot due to the nature of the island’s weather. It felt heavenly.

I lazily brushed my fingers through short dark hair, sighing in content when I felt my muscles relax despite the feeling of the sensitive skin burning. I reached for a bar of soap that I made sure was brand new, and started sloppily lathering my body with it, all the while keeping an eye on the dagger placed neatly on top of a towel near me. It is paranoia, and I was well aware of it. But going through what I went through would do the same to anyone, if not more. It was only fair after all. Plus, _better be safe than sorry... or some shit like that._

 Finishing up I rinsed, dried myself, and put my clothes back on. After one last check up around the room, I headed to the bed ready to sleep. With one hand tightly clutching the dagger under the pillow, I closed my eyes allowing sleep to take me into a hopefully dreamless slumber. 

 

Waking up the next day wasn’t that bad. My back was a little better than the previous couple of days, and I felt rested. Paying for the room, I headed to a nearby place to get some coffee and start my search again.

 

It was already afternoon, and I haven’t finished my search yet. It was a fruitless asking around about upcoming weather, devil fruits, and surrounding islands. _Seriously what’s with this place? Not knowing anything…_ I have had this problem in the past, but the people here gave off the general vibe of… _darkness_. As if they were hiding something, pretending not to know.

Grumbling to myself, I failed to notice the approaching figure, until I felt an impact. Looking at the cause of it, I frowned when an old man simply passed me, and walked away shaking his head disapprovingly while muttering obnoxiously loud…. Like he intended me to hear him.

_“Drunk youngsters.”_

Pursing my lips, I bit back an insult and continued on my way. I sighed dramatically to ease the sulkiness out, while I tried to read every hanged sign to locate the one I was looking for. Supposedly it was a good place to look in…. or that’s what someone said, recommending me.

The door’s bell jiggled as I stepped in, the strange smell immediately filling my nostrils…. It was woody and strong…. Yet it burned, I scrunched my nose and dove deeper into the store. It had different bottles of various shapes, colors, and sizes… _what is this place? Is it empty? I’m sure if it was, it would be locked, no?_

_“What’cha wan’ lil lady?”_

A gruff voice with thick accent came from somewhere around. Furrowing my brows, I narrowed my eyes to search for the owner of it… _where is he?.... More importantly, why are the windows covered? I can barely see shit. Weird town alright._

_“Well.. how about you show yourself first.”_

I asked rhetorically, sarcasm dripping with every word as I continued to glare at nothing in particular. A loud laugh boomed through the small space, as a middle aged well-built man stepped from behind a shelf.

_“Arent’cha sassy, lil lady?”_

He asked amused, his sharp features contracting as he smiled. His eyes looked tiny as his smile turned into a full grin when he realized I just kept staring. Crossing my arms, I glared at the weird guy.

 _“Why is it dark in here, old man?”_ I snapped, already feeling cranky.

His grin only seemed to deepen, the wrinkles on his face stretching. Taking a bottle from a counter, he placed it on top a nearby shelf…. all the while taking his time, which made my frown deepen.

 _“I’m on a vacation! Isn’t that great_?!” he exclaimed rather loudly, his accent disappearing…. _Was it fake then?... wait, why am I even thinking about this?_ Scolding myself mentally, I jumped right into business.

_“Someone said that you collect newspapers. Is it true?”_

Raising a brow waiting for an answer, I tapped my right foot against the floor to show my impatience.

_“That is true. Why’d you ask, lil lady?”_

The old man took a seat, and crossed his arms.

 _“I need to take a look at them. I’m looking for some useful information.”_ I vaguely answered.

 _Hopefully this is a good enough answer._ I really need any information I can get, and if this man has it then I will get it. He hummed as if considering it, and then stood up.

 _“Wait here.”_ He simple stated before disappearing somewhere.

He came back with an old cardboard box, it looked filled with dust and god knows what…. _Tch, that’s just fucking filthy._

_“I got everything in here.”_

I swallowed down my disgust, and walked farther into the store to get a closer look.

 _“I need them all, but I will return them by tomorrow.” I can’t possibly do my research in here._ Trying to sound convincing I added _“I’ll pay”_

 Well…  not a bad deal. Although I’m in fact low on money, buying information is not an option at this point.

He seemed to ponder the offer for a while, which was understandable… but the tension was slowly eating me. As much as I hated to admit it, I have already put so much faith in the dusty box. I had a hunch that it contained a lot of data.

_“Well, you do seem believable, but I think a deposit is guaranteed to bring you back here.”_

_What could he possibly ask for the that, I wonder? ._..I felt slightly nervous but acted unfazed.

_“A deposit?”_

_“Yes”_

_“Like what?”_

_“Something valuable.. you see this-”_ he patted the box softly and continued _“Might not seem much, but I have been collecting these newspapers for over a decade, lil lady.”_

 _What could he possibly accept?_ I don’t think money would do, since it’s not the most convincing… well not with the amount I have at least…. _Think, think_.. I have to get that box.

 _“It’s a compromise.”_ The man added with a smile.

I sighed and reached into my backpack. …. _I can’t believe I’m this desperate_ … I inwardly groaned at the not so amazing situation. Rummaging through, I found what I was looking for, half-heartedly gripping the cool surface of the pocket watch and turned to the man. His eyebrows were uplifted in a questioning manner, and he curiously tried to peek at my hand.

 _“I suppose money wouldn’t do…”_ I voiced the obvious _“… but I do hope this does.”_

I unclenched my right hand to reveal the golden sleek gadget, it shone whenever a running light managed to escape the curtained windows and hit it. The rose embedded on its lid only added to the unique design. The old man quickly snatched it from my open palm, and examined it profoundly.

 _“Hoo?.. not bad, lil lady. Where’d ya get that?”_ his eyes twinkled as he kept staring at the watch.

Suddenly regretting my decision, I took a deep breath _…. remember, this only temporary…yes **temporary**._

 _“Anyway, tomorrow this time I’ll come by.”_ I snapped totally ignoring his question and comment.

_This is making me feel weird somehow… what if he breaks it? Or gets it scratched… fuck! if I don’t go now, I might not be able to get that damn box._

_“I’ll be off now.”_

With that, I took the box… _which fucking hell was it heavy as fuck_ … and left the store.

 

It took me about half an hour to get to a new inn… luckily it wasn’t that far, but with the weight I was carrying, it took double the time. It was reasonably priced though, which made it slightly better. I huffed in exhaustion dropping the box roughly on the ground besides the bed. I took a seat on it, trying to catch my breath… _let’s see what we got here._

Upon opening the box, dust was flying everywhere. After a train of curses, and flailing my arms around, I was able to see again. It was filled to the brim with papers… _no wonder it was so damn heavy_. After separating the newspapers into three different heaps, according to the date stamped on them, I began my work.

Slowly going through the first heap didn’t get me anywhere, at least not anything major was found. My journal was slightly but surely getting filled with small notes. Such as pirate groups, bounties, and other trivial matters.

It was already dark outside when I finished the first pile, but I couldn’t stop here. _I can definitely fit in another round_ … rather than having to cramp everything tomorrow, which isn’t good. If I want my watch back, I have to make sure I finish on time. Sighing, I took the first pile back inside the box to avoid mixing my shit together.  

As I went through the first couple of newspapers from the new pile, it became clear that they were slightly older in date, and texture too. It was rougher, indicating a different period of time. Mentions of Shichibukai, Tenryuubito, The World Government, and the new Navy recruits (as new as it’s dated). It was everything I was lacking in my journal, and I hung into every little word. I was utterly concentrated. Reading and re-reading some articles, making sure to double check every name is written down in my journal. From the Navy all the way to The Royal ~~Warlords~~ _pirates_ that are privileged enough to work for The World Government. Not sparing even the bounty hunters, just in case.

The last two newspapers were what caught my ultimate attention. They were talking about the World’s genius… Doctor Vegapunk. Alongside his successful projects like the Pacifistas, various medical machinery, and Devil fruits. _Why haven’t I heard about this guy before?_

It was a very intriguing subject, apparently he works for The World Government, in return for his home island’s safety and protection. But isn’t that odd? If he is such a genius, I’m sure he won’t submit this easily. He doesn’t even seem to be on the Navy’s side, since he has worked for both the Navy and pirates. Creating all of those weapons and what not, I’m sure he’s just someone who’s trying to fit in this fucked up system we live in.

Devil fruits though, have always been a big mystery… _How can they even exist?_ Something so unordinary, that even some people still doubt their credibility. Even people from The Grand Line don’t believe in them…. Which if you think about. Aren’t most of Vegapunk’s research facilities located in The New World? Where Devil fruits are more…. _Common_. Yeah, weird indeed. Regardless of all of that. This guy managed to pinpoint their essence, and even went as far as to reproduce them. It is quite unnerving what else he can do… No wonder The Government got ahold of him. _They were probably shitting themselves before he joined them_. Loudly scoffing at the thought, I took my journal and scribbled some more.

 It was so damn late in the night, it might have already been 3 or 4 Am when I finished the last and final pile of papers. Because I ended up looking through the whole box without sparing a single _word_. Stretching my arms above my head, a satisfied moan fell from my lips… _fuck my neck and back are too damn stiff. Still, I have the rest of the day to rest until the log pose hopefully sets._

Hastily gathering the newspapers to return them inside the box, I moved it next to the door. I took off my glasses, and fell face first into the pillow. As soon as I hit the bed, I was out cold.

 

Furrowing my brows, I sunk deeper into the pillow when the sound only got louder and more persistent. Whoever was knocking the door clearly is an asshole.. A _big_ one at that. * ** _Knock* *knock*_** _._ I groaned hoarsely, and turned to the other side trying to fall back asleep. _Seriously what could be so urgent that it can’t wait? I need my sle-.. what the fuck! I swear to god if it doesn’t stop- ***knock***_

_“Ugggghhhh!!” I guess it won’t. “Fucking hell.”_

Sitting up with an effort, I swung the sheets harshly and reached for my glasses. Strapping the dagger just in case. Barely reaching the door without falling asleep on the floor, I swung the door already fucking annoyed and snapped.

 _“What?!!”_ It came out almost a little too loud than I aimed for… _well I don’t give a shit._

A girl probably my age stood right in front of my face, with her right arm still hovering over where the door once was. Eyes widening slightly, she dropped her arm and stepped back, gaze dropping to the floor. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was due to my dark eyes boring intently into hers.

_“Umm… father said you need to pay for another day if you stay any longer.”_

So she’s the inn keeper’s daughter. _Wait, what?_

_“What time is it?”_

Her face shot up, and she tilted her head answering plainly.

_“It’s already afternoon… 3 to be exact.”_

_Shit.. Was I that tired?_ Well ever since I landed on this island I haven’t had much of anything really… be it sleep, food, or even a peaceful mindset. Fuck I still have to return the box and get my watch back, before any other thing.

 _“So are you staying?”_ The girl’s voice questioned blatantly.

 _“No, give me five minutes.”_ She shrugged and left.

Slamming the door shut, I stormed into the bathroom to freshen up. After making sure everything is tucked in the box, I slung my bag and then heaved the box up, shifting it slightly to open the door. With a loud slam behind me, I was out. hopefully the rest of the day goes by smoothly, and I leave this god awful place as soon as possible.

 

To say that the pain was slowly eating my energy is an understatement. Energy that is barely there. _Fuck this is not the time for that_. It wasn’t a regular backache… no, it was a ‘natural phenomena’ that came with having wings. I have noticed sometime ago, that ever since I obtained them all those years ago, my back and neck became too weakened to handle any type of pain, weigh, or pressure. It’d feel as if electric shocks of intense pain crawling from the bottom of my spine, all the way to the base of my skull. Eventually leading to me crumpling on the spot, or having a fucking headache. Some unfortunate times, I’d end up with both.

Although these wings gave me the push to pursue my goal and freedom, this pain prevented me from flying sometimes. Even medicine and pain killers don’t work most of the time. I didn’t mind the permanent veins and bruises they left on my back, but I did mind being halted of my voyage because of them.

Stopping with a loud sigh, I used my left thigh as a leverage, while I re-adjust the box in my hands, pressing it lightly against my chest for a better handle… _Fucking hell! It seems to be only getting heavier each passing minute._ As I came closer to my stop, I let out a sigh out of pure relief… _Fucking finally._  I picked up my pace to get this done with. Stomping my left leg against the store’s wall to balance the box, I reached the door with an outstretched hand. Reaching for the knob to twist it, only to have it twist back…. _What?_ trying again with a careful but eager twist.. again nothing. _No, don’t tell me-.._

It took five more minutes, before I came to the realization that the store is in fact closed. _God dammit old man! Where did he go? I can’t waste my time here_. I still need to buy painkillers and restock my food supply…. Maybe even scam or rob some people for more money. The day was already coming to an end, which meant that the log pose might set in the next couple of hours…at any given time. Debating whether I should restock first while the old man gets here, or waiting for him, I chose the latter. Mainly because the box would be a pain in the ass to carry around, but also because I really didn’t trust my watch with him. I need it back.

With an angry huff and a kick to the door, I turned around and sat at the foot of the door, placing the box on top of the mat to avoid any running water from the nearby stores to seep in.

 _“Tch”_ _That old man.. I’ll kick his ass when he gets here._

Propping my chin with two hands, I tried to pass time by glaring at the passers.

It was sometime later that a voice I so fucking despised spoke.

_“Lil lady! I see you came back.”_

Raising my head from my crossed arms, I glared at the cause of my anger and sour mood.

_“Where were you, old man?”_

My patience was on the fucking moon at this point, and it didn’t help that I haven’t eaten nor had my coffee yet. The said male just shrugged and smiled like HE was the one waiting.

 _“I was in a bar enjoying my vacation.” Of fucking course_.

The tone of his voice was too relaxed that I had to grit my teeth not to jump and fucking stab him, or maybe strangle him. _Enjoying vacation my ass… I did tell him that I’d come by the same time as yesterday. Stupid, fucking old man._

 _“Right… “_ I clipped venomously _“where’s my watch?”_

Standing up, I dusted myself and pointed at the box right by my feet.

_“I’m done with it.”_

His eyes darted to the box before he smiled again.

_“Sure lil lady.”_

He dug in his pants and fished out a key. Understanding, I moved to the side so he could open the store. Carrying the box, I followed behind.

After a couple of snappy remarks, and constantly turning down the offer to share a drink, I was finally able to get my watch back… like I left it, which was good on the old man’s behalf. As soon as I left the store, I headed to a place to get some food and caffeine.

My finance was running low after restocking my food storage, which consisted of dry foods. Mainly vegetables since they are travel friendly…. _Tch, where do I find easy money now?_ Aimlessly taking random strolls and looking around, I found a way. Although it wasn’t perfected yet, I was pretty decent at it…. The good old pickpocketing.

Good thing it was a busy hour, where most were already locking up and heading home for dinner. The street was buzzing with people of all ages, each to their way. Blending in wasn’t a problem. Purposefully bumping into an old man, I sneakily snatched his watch. Making sure not to show my face properly. Next was a lady, she was young…and _rich_ too if the jewelry on her said anything _. I guess she can spare a few things._

After I deemed it enough, I had two watches, a necklace, and a wallet. _Good enough._ I’ll just keep them until the next island and then sell them. The previous parlor would only get me in trouble if I went back again, and I doubt I have the time to find another shop to cash them. After putting away everything, I turned around and proceeded to waste the rest of the day walking around while consistently checking the log pose.

My back was severely protesting against my legs and I felt it tingling, even burning through the fabric of my T-shirt. My lower back was throbbing as the pain stretched from where my wings typically sprout, all the way to my upper back and neck. Groaning at the intensity of it, I stopped at a nearby wall and slumped tiredly to the floor for a much needed rest. After some painkillers, and a five-minute break, I was up and walking again.

 

 _What am I doing here of all places?_ Staring at the now lit sign that clearly read ’Barney’s Bar’ I sighed. _Well, as much as I’d like to avoid this place, I’m already spent, and I barley staggered the last few meters._ Pondering my options for a while, I heaved a sigh, and reached for the door. Instantly, the smell of booze, cigarettes, and sweat hit me. The air was heavy and stuffy due to the amount of men crowding the place, laughing and chatting. It was even more filled than the last time I was here… then again it was already late in the evening anyway. Pushing my way between the several chairs and men, I made it to the counter. Taking the only empty stool at the far end of it, I surveyed the place silently. The widows were wide open to let the night’s breeze in, and a couple of teen waiters were holding trays serving and refilling for the customers. It seemed like a typical night….. still lousy and repulsive though.

_“Hello there. What’d you like?”_

A young man with a fierce undercut, and broad shoulders asked. Turning my gaze to take a better look, I replied calmly.

_“Coffee.. make it cold and black.”_

Keeping a poker face, I flicked a coin. The man fumbled but managed to catch it, smirking with a glint in his eyes.

 _“Sure, Miss”_ he slyly stated and turned around leaving…. _Jerk._

Propping my chin with my left hand, I drummed against the wooden surface of the counter, keeping an eye around _._

_“Hey! It’s you again!!”_

_Fucking hell… I almost forgot he works here. Surprising he hasn’t already jumped up on me sooner than now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> feedback is appreciated.


	5. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.

**_Previously :_ **

_Propping my chin with my left hand, I drummed against the wooden surface of the counter, keeping an eye around._

_“Hey! It’s you again!!”_

_Fucking hell… I almost forgot he works here. Surprising he hasn’t already jumped up on me sooner than now._

Upon lifting my eyes, a sight of energetic Finny greeted me. He had a towel on his right shoulder, the cuffs of his dress shirt were rolled up to his forearms. His eyes had slight bags under them, but they were as vibrating as ever… _full of life_. His smile showing a set of bright teeth, that glowed even brighter against his tanned skin.

Completely ignoring him, my head turned to the cup of coffee that was placed on the counter, immediately snatching it.

_“Finny, isn’t your shift over?”_

The bartender from earlier clasped Finny’s shoulder in a friendly manner, smiling as he did.

 _“I still have the rest of the hour.”_ Finny answered automatically, and his attention turned to the only female among them.

His bartender buddy noticed, and turned his gaze as well. Re-adjusting the toothpick from one side to another, he slyly remarked.

 _“Ah! I see. Was I interrupting here?”_ His smirk grew wider as he leaned on his forearms, teasing his friend.

_“Is Miss over here possibly your… friend?”_

The way he said it heavily hinted that he didn’t mean a regular friend, which only made this situation a tad bit _revolting_. Simply ignoring the idiots, I took another sip and kept my glare trained on the counter, trying to ignore the fact that they are acting as if I’m not right in front of their damn faces.

_“Well… is she?”_

The asshole pressed again while he nudged his friend in the ribs.

_“Jack!”_

Finny mumbled a warning, trying to hide his flushed face…. which only seemed to rile up the other asshole whose name is jack.

_“What? Answer me Finny. Is she your friend?”_

Jack feigned innocence and resumed nudging his friend.

_“I told you to shut u-..”_

Finny whispered, trying not to piss the female off. It was clear she was a hair away from exploding, and Finny didn’t want her to leave so soon.

_“No”_

A cold voice snapped, as the female Calmly resumed her drink without so much as to lift her eyes.

Finny’s expression fell, and he took a step back, not wanting to tick her off any more. Jack seemed smart enough to read the atmosphere, as he simply shrugged and left.

Finny kept fidgeting around, opening and closing his mouth trying to come up with anything other than a question, because he knew he won’t be getting any answer. However, it was ticking the female even more as she studied him from the corner of her eyes.

 

Sighing I decided to spare the poor kid.

_“What?”_

Lowering the cup just enough to talk, I kept my eyes on the rough wooden surface. _It’s probably for the best though_ ….. he’d get too nervous to say anything when I’m glaring holes. Frowning when I didn’t get an answer, I looked up. Finny was silently twirling a curl that managed to escape the thin headband he wore… _I’d say for work reasons…_ while chewing his bottom lip in thought.

_“Tch… Finny”_

He snapped immediately, eyes fully focused and staring quietly at me, gulping lightly when a deep scowl met him.

 _“Uhh… wait.”_ He raised his index finger and stormed to the back room.

 _Where did that moron go now?..._ shrugging I downed the rest of the cup in one go.

Sometime later, Finny came back with another cup in his hand, gently placing it next to my empty one… it was coffee. Raising an eyebrow, I gave him a questioning look.

_“Consider it an apology for Jack’s behavior, It’s on the house.”_

Finny answered, smiling when he saw a hint of a smirk as the girl shrugged and reached for the cup. Finny figured he’d let her enjoy her coffee while he served the over demanding customers at the counter, occasionally stealing glances to make sure she was still there. He was kind of thankful that she seemed to take her time with her drink. It was something he credited his job as a bartender for, to memorize people’s stable drinks, their exact favorite spot to occupy, even how much they typically tip him.

When his shift was over, he wiped the counters clean, and took off his apron while huffing in tiredness.

Taking a glance at the female, his eyes softened at the very rare, but cute sight… _Not that he’d say it out loud for obvious reasons._ She was hunched over the counter, her glasses neatly besides her folded arms that supported her head. Her left cheek was pressed against the back of her hand, while she breathed lightly through parted lips. _Was she that tired?_

Finny did notice she always had semi-permanent dark under eye circles, that intensified whenever she skipped on sleep. Although he knew she wasn’t asleep, she was most likely resting her mind instead of her body…. _She’s far more cautious to sleep in a place like this._ With one last look he went to the back room to check out and end his shift.

Tucking a curl behind his ear, he went to check on the girl once again. She was still as he left her, he took in her small frame that rose with every breath, and her eyebrows that were drawn together in a frown… he mentally chuckled. _Isn’t she always frowning?_

The frown got deeper as the girl spoke up, surprising Finny.

_“I do believe it’s rude to stare, Mister Finny.”_

The cold, collected voice made Finny sweat nervously, involuntarily shivering at the tone that was used to call his name. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and stared at the floor like a kid getting scolded.

_This guy has been staring for at least some time now, and God knows what he was thinking._ Lifting my head, I almost let a scoff at the expression he wore.

His hands were behind his back, glance casted downwards causing curls to shield his eyes, but not so hiding the slight flush that stretched from ear to ear. My lips twitched, but I managed to stay expressionless. _This is too entertaining._

_“Finny”_

His face slowly came in view, eyes peering so deeply, it would make some uncomfortable.

_“Relax.”_

It was a simple word, yet it seemed to remind him of how stiff his posture was. He took a deep breath, slumping his shoulders visibly. Easing my frown, I reached for my bag and stood up.

 _“Uh… can I tag along? My shift is over.”_ He timidly asked scratching his neck.

_“Suit yourself.”_

With a shrug I turned around heading for the door, not missing the small commotion as Finny kept bumping and apologizing to customers. _This is sure is going to be a long night…_

The night’s breeze was refreshing and welcoming compared to the stuffy bar, the noises from said bar were gradually dying with each step. Glancing at the idiot beside me, I could instantly tell that he was holding back a flood of questions. Tilting my head upwards to stare at the dark sky, I sighed softly.

 _“What is it?”_ I muttered half hesitant. I can always skip a question if it gets too personal, so might as well hear what he has to ask.  

 

The young man seemed to debate whether or not to just shoot random questions, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he decided to pick carefully.

 _“How do you like the island so far?”_ he glanced down at the petite female, trying to gawk her reaction. He noticed her frown, that was slightly puzzled by his random question.

 _“It sure is lively…”_ she muttered lowly, almost as if to herself and added _” … and odd.”_

Finny’s smile faltered at the sudden dark expression on her face, but he collected himself and asked.

_“What do you mean?”_

Although it took her a while to answer, Finny was sort of grateful that she didn’t just dismiss his question like he expected her to.

 _“There is this presence… it’s unsettling, and the people seem too…”_ her eyes narrowed ahead as she continued _“…genuine.”_

Even though it came out as a mere whisper, Finny heard it. And as he was about to ask her, she continued on.

_“The toys are another matter too. It’s my first time seeing anything like it.”_

She turned her face, looking at Finny as if silently asking him to explain the weird phenomena. Which he answered to truthfully.

_“It is a mystery to us locals too. Nobody knows who made them, or how they can act the way they do.”_

He finished with a sheepish shrug. Reaching for the cigarette tucked behind his ear, he patted his pants for a lighter. Taking a long drag and enjoying the taste for a while, he released it with an exhale. Large puffs of smoke disappeared as the breeze carried on, he took another drag and offered it to the silent female. She eyed it for a moment, before lightly shaking her head while pushing her glasses up her small nose.

Retracting his arm, he took the cigarette back in between his lips and shot his next question. Inwardly dreading the answer.

_“When are you leaving?”_

He hated how low and sad his voice got at the end, but hoped she didn’t notice it.

 

Deciding to ignore the tone of his voice and not comment on it, I answered casually.

_“In a couple of hours.”_

Glancing at the log pose on my left wrist to make sure, but It was still pointing at the same direction... _I guess I have to wait instead of check it every other hour._

Taking in the silence as we walked, I glanced sideways at the awfully quiet presence next to me. Finny had the _cancer stick_ dangling from his left hand, uselessly burning away, while his right was tucked in the front pocket of his pants. Eyes focused on the sky, solely on the moon that reflected upon the island. His eyes were twinkling, the dark steely color was bright and piercing. He looked deep in thought, thus why his pace slowed down.

Deciding it was enough after a long wordless while, I spoke calmly.

_“It’s not wise to get attached, Mister Finny”_

Finny’s thoughts were all over the place _… why is he this affected by this mysterious traveler’s departure?_ Their overall time spent together is roughly a couple of hours. _So why does he feel… upset that she’s leaving? Was he really getting attached?_

He came back to reality when he felt a cold, tiny hand wrap around his wrist. He looked at the owner of it, perplexed. The female tugged his hand towards her, and snatched the abandoned cigarette from between his slender fingers. The hand leaving him as soon as it came, and he frowned a little. Although it was questionably cold, it felt pleasant against his much warmer skin. Finny turned to the female, and silently watched as she placed the end of it between her lips and inhaled deeply. He kept mesmerizing, as her eyes closed, and she tipped her head back slightly as if savoring the heavy intoxicating taste. When she eventually opened her eyes, she simultaneously opened her mouth, gracefully puffing the smoke back out in various puffs, that went high in the air before disappearing. Sighing in content, she extended her hand, offering the cigarette back.

 Finny stared at it, It was lazily held in between her index and middle finger that were full of rings. Finny had noticed that almost all of her fingers were occupied with multiple rings. They looked good on her, they complimented her equally edgy style… with her pierced nose and severally pierced ears. He snapped out of it when his hand unconsciously reached for the cigarette. Taking a long inhale of smoke, he spoke.

 _“I know that. It’s just..”_ he paused not really sure if he should continue, but decided that it was alright to vent about what was eating him.

 _“...I envy you.”_ He gazed at the moon that brightly stared back and resumed.

_“My parents were travelers too. They’d prepare trips together, study the islands’ cultures, and sail the seas... Seeking exotic and unique things.”_

He glanced at the female and offered the cigarette, slightly surprised when she took it hastily.

_“I would always stay with my uncle. Though I didn’t mind it, I always whined that they never take me along. They’d argue that it’s dangerous and what not, but being my younger self, I never accepted it. Instead, I’d hide when they depart so I don’t have to say goodbye.”_

Finny found himself frowning, but went on.

_”It has already been five years since I last heard about them.”_

He felt his heart clench wistfully at the mention of his parents, and the awful feeling of hopelessness of not knowing what fate they met.

_“I’d walk their steps, if it weren’t for their long time wish of keeping me safe. I feel like I would betray them if I were to take off travelling.”_

He sighed, rubbing his face with both hands tiredly.

 

As Finny concluded his story, his eyes were glued to the ground, and his lips were pursed in a tight line. It was clear and understandable that he was suffering. Growing up I came to a realization. It was… that sometimes not knowing isn’t _always_ for the best. There are still so many lost puzzle pieces for me to put together, and the heavy weight of the responsibility keeps loading my already pressed psyche. With all that, I wasn’t completely positive if I’m playing this puzzle game to win, or to simply _get over my boredom_. But each to their own, I guess… maybe he really wants to know what happened to his parents.

Taking another drag, I lowly muttered.

_“Misfortune is all around us, Mister Finny.”_

Finny smiled faintly at that, but then smugly retorted.

_“I knew you were a softie deep down.”_

Snapping my head almost too violently at the idiot, I growled.

_“What was that?”_

Though he seemed unaffected, because he just smiled teasingly.

_“I’m joking.”_

He raised both hands as if to calm me down. I turned forward, glaring into the distance.

Finishing the last puff half agitated, I threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomping on it with a little _too_ much force.

I was staring at the starry sky, when his voice broke the silence.

 _“You know I never asked for your n-..”_ I snapped harshly before he could even finish.

_“Don’t”_

It came out full of malice and hatred that he frowned deeply, seemingly startled. I didn’t even notice how stiff I got, or that I had stopped walking for that matter.

 

Finny has stopped walking too, turning to face the angry female. He inwardly went over what he had said, that might have made her so tense. He frowned when he met her dark, chilling eyes. Her fine brows were knitted together into small, tight creases. He found himself taking a step back, when her glare only hardened.

 _“Wha-..”_ again he was interrupted mid-sentence.

_“I said don’t.”_

With that, she resumed walking… almost _stomping._ Finny followed, utterly dumbfounded.

 _“Why?”_ He half whined.

 _What was wrong with asking for her name?_ she already knew his. He voiced out his thoughts when she ignored his first question. That, or he was supposed to take her slightly audible huff of annoyance as an answer.

 _“You know mine..”_ he tried to sound more convincing, and less dumb as he reasoned out.

 _“I didn’t ask for it.”_ She snapped in evident irritation.

 _Well… true._ Finny thought, but pressed on nonetheless.

 _“True. But still….”_ He muffled.

Honestly, he felt… _and probably sounded_ … like a child whining to get a certain toy in a fair, though he did slowly become curious. As if he just came up with a solution for world peace, he smiled triumphantly.

_“Alright…”_

He paused, trying not to bail out after noticing her awaiting expression, but mostly her eyes squinting darkly at him. With a _clear_ teasing tone, He announced.

_“… I’ll just call you Munchkin.”_

Frankly, he knew he was walking on thin ice at this point. It wasn’t a good move to anger an already irritated _certain_ someone…. _far from good_ … probably even a death sentence. Regardless, he held onto the hope that she’ll actually crack an answer of some sort.

MUNCHKIN! My eyes widened slightly in shock, but instantly narrowed again. Scowl set, I turned to face the moron who has been getting on my fucking nerves for the past ten minutes. I shrewdly challenged.

_“What was that?”_

He stiffened visibly, but his smile remained.

 _“You don’t like it? How about grumpy face?”_ his eyes glistened seemingly amused as he pressed on.

My lips were roughly being chewed in fury, and I took a deep breath to calm down. _Is he for real?_ He would normally shut his mouth after a simple glare, yet he’s insisting on the matter. Without muttering a word in response, I drew my dagger from its sheath, and took an experimenting step closer to him. All the while baring a heavy, but _warning_ stare.

That seemed to do it as his eyes drastically widened in worry, and his smile fell. Taking two steps back, his arms flew instinctively in front of him as if _shielding_ himself.

 _“Whoa… whoa! calm down! I was kidding I swear. I’m sorry, okay?”_ Words frantically flew out of his mouth while he flailed his arms around.

Taking my time to let my glare set in, I made sure he was well aware of how close I was to stabbing him. Eventually, I took a step back and sheathed my weapon with an exasperated huff.

_“I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t know it was something serious. I just thought you didn’t feel like telling me.”_

Finny’s voice quietly apologized, and he came to stand closer. My hands clenched tightly at the _very_ slight, but evident tone of sympathy in his words.

 _“I just thought that if I get to know your name, maybe I can hear or read about you someday.”_ He faintly muttered, cheeks flushed while he just rubbed his neck nervously.

His last statement made my eyes narrow, and I glared at the pavement with passion. Biting my bottom lip, I tried to fathom the sudden cold……. _Almost_ …. freezing wash of _something_ rushing through my veins. It felt like a very chilly breeze inside of me, my heart felt as if it was being bared, leaving it exposed as it slowed down significantly…. _What is this feeling?_ It was unconsciously that I mumbled out.

_“I…. don’t have a name...”_

As I came to the realization of what I just foolishly said, my gaze snapped up to meet Finny’s shocked and confused expression… _Shit! Now I can’t take it back. He’s going to ask more questions now… fuck._

 

Although it was a very low, almost inaudible whisper, it ringed loudly in his ears. He was slightly taken back at the unfamiliarity of those words combined together….. _Doesn’t……. have one?_

 _What do people call her then? Doesn’t she feel odd not having one?_ Various questions filled his already curious mind, but he just kept gaping at her. Though he didn’t voice a single question out. He saw the expression she wore during her slip up, it was raw and utter confusion mixed with sorrow. Like a kid who’s lost at a store, it was the most genuine he had seen her. It proved to Finny that her cold and sharp demeanor is a cover up, a façade that she put up to push everyone away.

He wanted to know a lot of things…. _What had happened to her? Where was she born? Were her parents good people? Was there a time where she smiled and laughed?_ All those questions, but not a single answer. It saddened him that he will never get to know her.  

It’s not like he was alone. He had his little group of ‘friends’, but he never really cared enough to know about their lives, dreams, or anything really. They’d just hang out together, play cards, and share a couple of drinks…. a smoke even. But he never felt entitled to get that _close_ to them, for some odd reason he didn’t really figure out.

Yet, the urge to get to know this stranger scratched its way deep inside of him, while it wailed miserably inside of his head. He felt oddly strained, like it was his life’s _purpose_ to get to know her. This stranger that was the complete opposite of him, behavior and personality wise. It weirded him out, but intrigued him at the same time.

Snapping out of his trance, he nodded faintly and squeezed out.

_“Alright… I believe you. Though I did wish I could keep up with your news from time to time.”_

Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he tried to smile genuinely. He didn’t even want to know if he failed or not, as he inwardly cursed at their cruel fate.

 

Well it was surprising indeed how easily he let the subject go, though it was much appreciated. With a simple nod, I continued walking. Soon Finny joined me, silently walking along. Both listening to the sound of crickets roaming around, and the now heavy blowing of the wind as it passed through the various alleyways. It was some time later the silence was broken.

 _“Can I see you off?”_ He turned his head and added _“please?”_

Glancing from the corner of my eyes, I sighed.

_“I can’t, but I’ll try to swing by the bar instead.”_

His eyes shined and a small smile appeared, he nodded excitedly.

_“Yeah! Sounds good!”_

He turned his head, and started humming with a lingering smile.

After a couple more random strolls, and Finny talking about anything and everything while occasionally throwing in a lame joke, but laughing.. _alone…_ at it anyway, we were standing in front of the bar again. It was much more calm now. Though the door was wide open, Finny’s tall ass was completely blocking it from view, I caught a glimpse of someone arranging the chairs neatly through the wide open side window. It was clear no one was inside. … _How long have we been walking for?_

 Finny’s voice sounded slightly timid, but polite like always.

 _“Would you like another smoke or drink?”_ he smiled, flicking his head back towards the bar.

 _“I would have to decline, Mister Finny.”_ I dryly answered, trying to ignore his obvious pout and sad expression.

Slumping his shoulders, he dug his hands in his pants and asked again.

_“Would you like a room then?”_

His eyes looked hopeful, and he his stare was intense… he was _waiting_.

 _“I already have one.”_ I replied trying to sound convincing.

Well it was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

 _“Oh… I see.”_ He muttered, dropping his gaze to his heavy boots.

_“Well then Mister Finny, I’ll be going.”_

 I declared, Turning around. I was trying to take my leave, before he somehow manages to drag me back inside.

 _“Wait! You said you’d drop by!”_ he stated in a tone that sounded more like ‘You better not forget’. Waving my hand behind me dismissively, I replied casually.

_“Have a good night, Mister Finny.”_

I was already walking away, when his loud voice yelled in a clear skeptical tone.

_“I’ll be waiting! Good night!”_

Shaking my head, I scoffed and continued walking.

 

Although I didn’t particularly like the dark feeling that this island gave off, I wasn’t going to waste my money on a room that I won’t be spending that many hours in. It would probably take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours for the log pose to set. Which means, depending on the time it sets, I’ll leave sometime before noon. With that in mind, I searched for a high and safe enough building to act as a substitute for a tree. It was a strategic place to crash in, since it was far off the ground. I had noticed earlier, that most building weren’t any higher than three stories. Spotting a blue building with safety stairs on its right side, I headed towards it.

Slowly and quietly climbing the metal stairs, I reached the roof top, It was surprisingly not that messy. Instead, it was decently clean with few boxes and metal pipes scattered around. Softly stepping away from the railing, I took a careful and observant look around, while keeping in mind a light footstep, not to alarm any residents.

After scanning the open area various times, I was satisfied with it.  I went to the left side that was far away from view, since it had a big water tank hiding most of the small space behind it. Sitting on a tattered piece of cardboard, I sighed loudly. Drawing my knees closer, I rested my chin on my folded arms and stared at the silent view of the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	6. Chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.  
> Welcome back! I know a very late update, but you'd be surprised to know for how long this chapter has been sitting aside.

I didn’t know when did I sleep, but what I did know was that my neck was hurting so much, it was probably the reason I woke up approximately two hours later. It was still dark, and the town was dead quiet, the timing was appropriate for a stretch and a warm up. After all, it has been awhile since I last used my wings, and I wasn’t looking for a muscle spasm during my leave. I stood up dusting my pants, and started a basic stretch. After deciding it was enough, I slid my glasses back on the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. Since it was only a warm up, it wasn't necessary to take my bag along, plus , finding a spot to hide it was easy. Taking the torn piece of cardboard, I moved it to the much narrow space behind the water tank and dumped my bag on top of it. It was a safe place, though it won’t take more than half an hour.

Even though I wasn’t completely… _not even close_ …. Well rested, and I was kind of dizzy due to the exhaustion, it was an opening. I would be stupid not to take advantage of it, I can take a nap or something later on when I get back. With a loud and dragged exhale, I sprouted my wings out, wincing and squirming at the rough feeling. I narrowed my eyes, and clenched my fists to resist the urge of scratching the shit out of the sensitive area on my back.

Fluttering them a little, I bent my knees and lowered my stance to a semi crouch position.  With a deep breath, I stomped my shoes harshly against the ground and took off running. I ran to the edge of the roof with speed, and as I neared the edge, I jumped forwarded spreading my wings fully. The familiar euphoric rush ran through me as I started flying, slow at first, but gradually increased both speed and height.

It took me two laps around the island to tire my body beyond logic. _Why?_ You ask. Because as much as I wanted to blame my tiredness, I knew it was my damn curiosity that I found myself standing in an all but familiar gigantic balcony…. the same one from three nights ago. I was once again going over my half functioning brain, as to why the fuck am I here again. The rational part of it told me to get back and rest, but I ignored it completely out of lack of mentality.... _Because what other reason would make me willingly come to this forsaken place?_

The balcony’s double glass doors were wide open, with the curtains slightly swaying from the faint breeze. Taking a few moments to regain my breath, I slowly stepped in. It was much darker than the previous time, and as my wings were out of the window’s way, only a little light managed to get in. Although it did make a difference, as it illuminated the humongous room. Tucking my glasses in my t-shirt’s collar, I took an encouraging breath while I stared at the huge silhouette lying on the king sized bed. It was moving up and down rhythmically, and even though I couldn’t see anything past a certain point, the wide and bare back gave me an idea of who that silhouette might belong to. _It’s him._

My mouth felt dry, and I was frozen to the spot as I cursed the moment I stepped in here. What the fuck is wrong with me? What if he wakes up?... god dammit I was never good with controlling my curious ass. My eyes snapped back to the man, in case he wakes up and I have to run. I squinted my eyes on his rippled back searching for any sign that might indicate his consciousness, but none was found. I kept my guard up, gaze still pinned to the muscles as they clenched and flexed with each breath… good he’s still asleep… _I just need to get to the window and get the fuck out of he-_

_“I had a feeling I’d see you again, little bird.”_

The hairs on the back of my neck stood at the cold, deep voice that echoed through the room. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face, and I kept my wide eyes glued to the bed, watching in anticipation. Fuck! This is not how it should go… _if only I went back to my hideout, I wouldn’t be here. I just can’t get in trouble when I’m so damn close to finally leave this god awful place._  I felt my heart in my throat, it started thumping painfully fast, as if it was trying to crush my rib cage and escape. 

I have seen the size of this man, I was barely reaching his knees…. What can I possibly do with a simple dagger as a weapon. I wasn’t a coward, but I was however realistic enough to know the size, strength and physical difference. He could probably crush my skull with his bare hand, a cold chill ran down my spine at that. 

Keeping my focus on the still lying shadow, my eyebrows furrowed and my gaze darkened suspiciously when a thought ringed inside my head. Even though he is clearly awake, he hasn’t moved or even attempted to…. He hasn’t even turned around. It might have been my mind playing tricks on me, to confuse me in the spur of the moment, but the voice came from somewhere farther in the room. I was even sure it was the other side of the room, away from the bed….. _That’s…… not…. possible, is it?_

A sharp click of heels was heard, before a shadow caught my attention. It was approaching from…. Behind? I stayed still, instead I did nothing and decided to wait for the right moment, carefully following the shadow that was slowly closing in. I kept my sharp vision sideways, tightly gripping the handle of the unsheathed knife, I waited quietly. Just as a hand reached out towards me, I swiftly stepped forward and away from it while clutching my only method of defense harder. I turned around quickly, using all of my strength to aim for a serious slash. 

It was definitely one of the most confusing and slightly shocking discoveries. Upon turning around, I came in contact with the mysterious shadow that I had assumed was a guard of some sort… only to face the pink clad man from that night…. The one who was supposed to be on the bed, _sleeping_. _How is this possible? Am I missing something? Is there more than one?_ My chest tightened, and my legs quivered involuntarily at the thought of two of them.  I had aimed the dagger on what was in my line of reach and sight, which was his lower thigh. It was a mere careless attack to provide enough distraction for me to leap to the open window and escape, but those slight seconds of uncertainty and hesitation upon identifying him, were the judge of my fate.

His left hand caught my right wrist promptly applying pressure, to the point I thought my whole arm would break. A loud cry left me, and the dagger slipped from my useless clutch, hitting the ground with a clattering sound. All of that was discarded as I focused on the situation at hand. His grip was so enormous, it swallowed almost all of my forearm. It was kind of frightening how small and fragile it looked in his sturdy hold. As soon as the sound of metal quieted down, I felt myself fly off the ground as he took ahold of my neck, lifting me up. His fingers tightly holding me in place as his face came in view, my only free hand instantly went to the tight and suffocating hold trying to pry it off, but to no avail. His face remained emotionless, but he tightened both grasps. Eyes widening in unbearable pain, tears started forming in the corners of my eyes, while small choking sounds and faint whimpers escaped me helplessly. My left hand, and only hope kept scratching and pounding to ease his death grip… but nothing worked.

As adrenaline pumped through me, my mind seemed to ignore the crushing grip on my arm, and only focused on the one around my neck, slowly choking me to death. The vague man eased his grip around my throat, only slightly… but enough for me to squeeze a couple of gasps for air. Keeping his hold, his long, callous index finger caressed my jaw gently as he smiled…. _That smile_. A shiver racked me, and I felt my hard gulp bounce against his splayed palm over my throat. He noticed, and that only seemed to please him as his smile widened. Although I couldn’t see his eyes, I felt them, hot and burning on my skin. 

I thought of not showing fear, but it didn’t help being held by a man at least four sizes bigger. The dark room was quiet, aside from my heavy breaths and huffs. The caressing has fortunately stopped, just in time his tongue darted out, wetting his lips as he whispered wickedly.

_“I have been longing to see your wings again, little bird.”_

My attention snapped, and I stared with slight worry and disbelief at him. I felt my heart beating fast in my ears … too fast, as I pondered my options. I can’t break free to even use my wings; at the same time, I don’t want to risk them. With my instinct against my fear, I went with what would be less sever in outcome. Taking a deep inhale, my eyes shut tightly as my wings started retreating. I groaned lowly when I felt them gradually turn back into the dark and icy liquid, that eventually seeped inside my body once again.

 

It sure took Doflamingo by surprise, as he watched the huge feathery wings slowly disappear from his sight. His smile turned upside down in rage, his eyes narrowed to slits behind his pointed glasses, and he found himself roaring madly.

_“Why would you do that?!”_

He was seething with anger. _How dare she?!!_

 _“Such insolence.”_  He growled.

His grip went impossibly tight, and he lifted her even farther off the ground. He scoffed at her futile attempts of trying to pry his hold off, as her much smaller fist kept hitting him repeatedly. She would even occasionally scratch the back of his hand, but his grip remained unfaltering.

 

I felt my chest tighten, and my muscles screamed for oxygen. Unwilling tears streamed down and my whole face felt hot, it was probably red due to lack of air, and extreme blood pressure. My legs dangled uselessly, and I felt my vision starting to become blurry. My arm fell to my side limply, and I gave into the darkness that swallowed my mind and sight. _Shit… I failed_.

Just as I was about to black out, the suffocating pressure decreased causing my body to jolt awake. Reacting on instincts, I took huge gulps of air despite the burning sensation that accompanied the process. Eyes opening, I resumed my struggle, scratching his hand while glaring harshly with eyes full of hatred.  He raised a semi-bleached eyebrow, and tilted his head to the side, not at all affected by neither of those things, which only made me grit my teeth in frustration. _Fuck.. I need a distraction. Something… anything!_ _Think think_ …. _What can I do when I’m hanging four feet off the solid ground like a rag?_  

I felt him lean in, and his smirk came in view. He turned his head and murmured in a tone full of threats. 

 _“How about you show me those wings of yours?”_ His grip tightened in an intimidating manner.

I grimaced when I felt his smirk on the side of my face, accompanied by his breath on my jaw. He was too close that I found it more threatening than I wanted to admit. With little to no hesitation, I replied just as low in tone. 

_“Never”_

I’m not so stupid as to actually believe he only wants to ‘see’ my wings, and if he is going to kill me, I would rather not give him what he wants. 

The suffocating pressure increased rapidly, indicating his anger towards my apparently not appropriate answer. Fuck it.

 _“Challenge accepted.”_ He growled in irritation. 

The grip around my wrist dropped as he spun around, and with all his might threw me towards the furthest wall in the room. It happened so fast, I barely blinked through it. I felt the crushing impact as soon as I opened my mouth to ask what had happened, but whatever was going to come out got stuck in my throat, instead a strangled sob left me. I felt the brick wall crack behind my back as a sharp pang of pain shook me to my core. A sickening sound of cracking ringed in my ears, and I coughed up an unhealthy amount of blood…. _I doubt I’d have survived if I were to hit my head during the impact._

Blood seeped from my nose, joining the trail from my mouth, eventually dripping off my chin. I weakly slipped to the floor, letting a soft, barely audible groan in the process. I tried to gather my senses, and inspect the damage internally. The dust from the smashed wall was clearing slowly, and I picked the sound of footsteps through my still ringing ears. _Fuck… I can’t go through another slam without it severely threatening my life, I might even die instantly._ A gut wrenching feeling told me that this is not even his full strength, I felt a wave of prickles travel down my spine, forcing me to shudder on the spot. My eyes were stinging from how much dust was in the air, and black dots started clouding my vision, it didn’t help that my head was spinning like crazy. 

Shit.. I have lost too much blood. Fucking Anemia. I tried moving my legs, but they were too shaky and unstable to depend on. My back felt painfully stiff, rendering me defenseless and unmoving. A cold liquid traveled down the side of my face, and I brought up a hand to quietly inspect it. I frowned when my half lidded gaze landed on my trembling hand. It was covered in so much blood… _Did I hit my head? I didn’t even feel it…_

 _At this rate, the next blow is the finishing one._ Gathering my remaining strength, I placed a hand on the wall to support my weight against it to stand up. Almost losing my balance as soon as I tried to stand on my feet, my right hand shot up to regain my balance back, instead I released a low hiss when splitting pain prevented me from doing so. Trying again but with more gentle movements, but it didn’t work either. With a heavy inspecting gaze, I noticed my slumped right shoulder…. _It must be broken_. Cursing inwardly, I shakily leaned on the wall trying to think rationally… if I can use this dust, I might be able to leap to the window. Shit I doubt I’m in any condition to even fly with a beat up body, and a cracked head. My stomach shrunk at the realization. Even if I manage to get out of this room, I’d simply get lost in the hallways and eventually get caught by his men, or worse _him._

Shifting slightly, I flinched when the sound of footsteps stilled, and a large, distinctive shadow appeared vaguely through the still rising dust. A sudden jabbing pain struck me in both my abdomen and left thigh, causing my knees to buckle. I fell to the ground with a surprised groan. _What was that? If it was an attack, why couldn’t I see it coming?_

My eyes lowered to my wounded leg, as I searched through the now torn tight cloth covering it. That’s weird. My thigh was clearly bleeding as if it was stabbed, yet the cause of the injury was nowhere to be found.  Wincing at the immobilizing pain, I tried to apply a little pressure on both of the bleeding areas, but failed immensely as the blood slowly spread through my clothes, eventually seeping between my trembling fingers. Although the wounds were bleeding slowly, I knew that if I didn’t stop it, my anemia will kick up and I would fall unconscious. Which wasn’t a good thing, yet I feared that it wasn’t a debatable matter either.

 _I can’t waste another minute here, I need to stop this bleeding and get the fuck out of here._ I took a glance at the unmoving shadow that was ominously looming and gritted my teeth. Taking a deep breath, I tried to stand up again. I suppressed a groan, and applied a little more pressure on my left leg, I could feel my bleeding thigh sting as the blood flowed out faster. Biting my lip to not to cry out in pain was all I could do. Fuck I just want to sleep. The fatigue hit me from all the bleeding, lack of sleep and nutrition and a weak pant escaped me just as my legs gave up. I hit the ground with a low whine, and a noticeable thud. As I kept cursing my stupidity, my eyes closed shut. 

 

Doflamingo listened closely as the sound of a subtle thud was heard, and he knew that his judgment of sending in those two bullet strings was right. He had already analyzed his little intruder, and although she carried a weapon, she lacked skills. Aside from that, he doubted she could do much with her petite frame, she was barley reaching his thighs! And although Doflamingo was well accustomed to towering over people, he knew it was not at all the case with his little bird. She was too small and short for her age. Though it was just his guess, he knew she was most definitely a mere brat acting tough as an adult, he laughed humorously at that.

When the cloud of dust cleared, the sight only pleased Doflamingo, as his cunning tongue darted out to wet his lips sadistically at the sight of his little bird. She was on her side, clearly unconscious, but shivering slightly as her pants filled the air. The prideful king tilted his head when he just now realized that the wall in front of him was greatly damaged. Whole bricks, along with semi shattered bricks were scattered around inches away from the shivering mess, leaving behind a big dent in the once sturdy wall. 

His glance went back to the small body, now appearing pale in the small light of the room. The shivers have intensified as the small intruder was trembling from the loss of blood. Doflamingo sighed as he neared her, he crouched next to his little bird to inspect the damage.  He stared at the huge stain of blood on her very baggy t-shirt, it was probably three sizes larger. It only made it a tad bit difficult to pinpoint the specific injured area. The blond slowly reached to lift it, only to stop midway when he was met with a small gap. It was approximately two cm in diameter, with blood oozing out. The Shichibukai frowned, he might have gone a little overboard, but he can hardly be blamed. He was used to beating much larger opponents, even if they lacked power, they withstood his attacks and beard a little more pain due to sheer physiques. 

On the other hand, his little bird was hardly up to compare to them. His hand looked monstrous on her frame, it only made Doflamingo stare in amusement.  Even though he didn’t regret what he did to the intruder, he didn’t want her dead. With that, he lifted his hand as it hovered over her exposed stomach. With a twitch of his fingers, invisible strings penetrated the swollen skin around the wound as it was sewn shut in no time. Knowing exactly where he was aiming, his gaze dropped lower, landing on her thigh as he repeated the process, leaving a huge piece of cloth missing and blood stained skin.

When he was done, he hooked his arms around the much smaller frame and placed his bird on top of a chair. He used his strings to bind both of her wrists to the armrest, as well as her ankles. He took a seat on his bed and waited for his little prey to wake up, he knew with that much damage; she wouldn’t actually be unconscious for long. Doflamingo sighed as he rubbed his temples in an attempt of chasing away the nagging headache. He was woken up, alarmed by his Haki warning him of an incoming harm and although he could have left the matter of taking care of it to one of his executives, he wanted to get rid of the pest himself. He had been slightly agitated for a while, and he wanted to let some of it out, it was a good opportunity as he had enough seconds to call out his Black Knight, and wait in the shadows. 

To his utter surprise, it was just who he had been waiting for. He had almost laughed out loud at the mere thought of how moody and grumpy he was acting the last few days. When he should have known that the heavens are always going to answer to the godly blood that flowed through him. Gods always get what they want, it’s how it has always went for Doflamingo, and he should have known that his little bird would fly right into his hands. He had watched her petite frame go farther in the room, thrillingly oblivious that she wasn’t ever going to leave it again. That thought was only eating at Doflamingo as he impatiently waited for the right moment, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his hands. They were almost itching to just reach out, and grab his little prize already. To caress those heavenly looking wings, that even though reminded him of someone he so passionately despised and was severely disappointed in, he wasn’t mad… weirdly enough… Though he should have killed her on the spot, for reminding him of that traitorous cowardly brother that left him for the navy’s sake. He should have felt angry at this, but he felt almost the exact opposite. He saw it as a chance of getting back at Corazon for what he did to the family… like a second chance of Corazon. It was as if he was redeeming himself for betraying Doffy. 

Doflamingo glanced at the still sleeping bird, noticing how her breathing has slowed down, and her constant shivers have decreased. The Shichibukai didn’t care what life she led before, nor what profession she occupied. Although he was glad he had found her, a small part of him wondered what brought her here again, and what was she doing here the first night they met.  His frown deepened when his thoughts kept bugging him. He doubted she was an assassin, judging by her fighting skills, and lack of senses. She didn’t know how to properly wield a weapon despite carrying one, she also didn’t seem to use Haki. 

The second possibility was that she might have been a bounty hunter, although Doflamingo strongly discarded that idea. Having been a Shichibukai and a world noble, his bounty was disclosed with The World Government for over a decade now. Even if she was one and she wasn’t after him specifically, she wouldn’t have ‘mistaken’ him for any of her targets, she has probably studied her target’s whereabouts and what not. One thing was for certain, and it was that she wasn’t after anyone from his crew. Simply due to the fact that all of his executives, and top executives are under his protection as an active Shichibukai. 

Doflamingo’s last guess was that she was either a pirate, or a mere thief.  _But why would a pirate be in the king’s palace at this hour?_ In his own room, no less. _What business could she have here?_ The Shichibukai shook his head, as if getting rid of the idea. He simply went with the most reasonable option…. She was a thief, and the sight of the palace caught her eyes, so she waited for nightfall to sneak in. It would explain her hesitation when he caught her that night, she probably thought everyone was asleep. 

A raspy protest of pain, followed by a cough caught Doflamingo’s attention. He snapped out of his haze, eyes on the now awakening female, watching intently.  The female was tossing her head from side to side, frown deepening before she eventually opened her eyes. Doflamingo remained quiet, simply examining her reaction. Which wasn’t disappointing, as her eyes settled on the predatory presence, sitting eerily calm in front of her. Confusion was all over her features, but when it struck her, her eyes winded and her pupils shrunk as recent events rushed in. Doflamingo’s calm face was replaced with a sick, sneering smile that made him look even more fitting for his nickname, _Heavenly Demon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	7. Chapter six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning.  
> I'm extremely sorry i know i keep disappearing, please bear with me. Also, if there is any typos I'll edit it later.

Doflamingo stood up, re-adjusting the soft fabric of his feathery coat as he stalked closer to his little victim. His amusement rising when he caught the small gulp of fear, along with the distraught expression she wore. He eventually stopped, when he was toe to toe with her that is, and ever so agonizingly slow he bent down to her level. When their faces ware inches apart, he couldn't help but smirk evilly. He hasn't even started talking, but the other wasn't having any of it. The poor bird kept squirming to try and break loose, but only to wince in pain when the strings dug deeper into her delicate skin, causing it to break and bleed.

She seemed to give up on her futile attempts and just as if noticing him, she raised her head, face coming into view as she looked at her captor in _masked_ calmness.

 

She felt her heart giving out and a bile in the back of her throat, her mind kept tumbling with never ending scenarios of how he was going to murder her.... _They were all brutal._ Somehow, she was relieved by the fact that he wore glasses, because she didn't even want to imagine what emotion could be swarming in his eyes... Dark and full of evil for sure. Her head banged the back of the chair when she tried to put as much space between them, but he just kept leaning closer anyway. _Damn it._

His words came out hushed, and teasingly low against her bloodied temple.

_"Welcome back."_

His breath was impossibly hot, or was she too cold? She didn't know, and honestly couldn't care at the moment. She felt her heart in her throat, blocking any oxygen from getting in. She turned her head as much as her position allowed her and closed her eyes tightly shut. It shouldn't have taken her for more than a minute to control her harsh breathing back to normal, but it wasn't helping that even her heart was just about ready to collapse at any second.

 

The Shichibukai decided to back down for now, he rose back to his full intimidating height. shoving his hands in the front pockets of his pink striped Capris, he waited a long moment before he decided to speak again. With a clear, but rough voice he demanded.

_"What business does a rat have here?"_

Frankly, he wasn't expecting an answer, neither did he care for one. He just simply wanted to play a little game with his bird, that's all. He wanted to see her reaction when he gives her the false sense of hope, then crush it right before her eyes. He wanted.... Almost _needed_ to witness her expression when she realizes that no matter what she does, she will never leave this place. Doflamingo almost lost his self-control as he resisted the urge to scream it in her face. He imagined the miserable, yet raw look of helplessness and despair, as tears of shattered hope dry on flushed cheeks. A twitch in his nether region almost toppled him into discarding his plan, but he convinced that part of him that the slow build of thrill will make the wait worth it. He _will_ have her.... Oh how she will succumb to him, all on her own.

When silence met him, he sighed dramatically as if apologetic while he feigned concern.

 _"If you think that ignoring me will get you out of here, you are mistaken."_ He paused, adding a warning tone to his next words.

_"I can guarantee you a painful, agonizing, and extremely slow death. And I'm a man of my words, little bird."_

He smiled sweetly, despite the disturbing threat. He watched his captive intently, as she squirmed uncomfortably but remained silent nonetheless. Though Doflamingo didn't miss the hesitation evident on her features, as she mulled over his threat quietly.

The tall blonde found himself bending down once again to further make his bird uncomfortable,  as she backed herself against the chair and away from him. It was quite an entertaining sight. He licked his lips in amusement and smugly asked.

_"Well?"_

He kept pinning her with his gaze as he gawked her expression. Her dark eyes were half lidded, pupils blown wide with unspoken fear, while small puffs of warm air repeatedly hit his left cheek. He was _still_ waiting for an answer. Copying his action, Doflamingo silently watched as his little bird's tongue, small and pink, slipped between her lips, wetting them before she took a deep breath. His eyes were glued to her now glistening lips covered with the blood that was splotched on most of her face, as trails of crimson lines gathered on her chin.

 When she answered, her voice was weak and hoarse, but her tone was fierce and wild. She practically growled at him.

_"Fuck off."_

Doflamingo was silent for a moment, his focus was on her lips still. _I knew she was interesting._ Even though her tone was brave and clear, her small body was shaking, and her lips were quivering as her pants filled the air. He couldn't help but crack up.

 _"Fufufu!"_ He laughed darkly, his wide chest vibrating from the intensity of it. Pressing his hand to his forehead to calm down, he retorted.

 _"I don't think bad mouthing me is in your favor, little bird."_ He whispered lowly, as if people could hear them. His tone dropped to a mere murmur, he almost seethed.

_"You'll come to realize that I'm a very patient man, little bird. I can always fix you, just so I can break you again...like I have already done."_

He pressed his hand lightly over her clothed abdomen to further prove his point.

 

The female was confused for a second before she realized that although her wound was throbbing painfully, it didn't feel like it was bleeding anymore. Her eyes shot down to her thigh, and it confirmed it to her. Though the skin was torn beyond ever healing properly, the transparent strings were visible under the slight light. She grimaced when she imagined the ugly state the other stitched wound was in. Having reached a conclusion, she decided to give the man his answers since she didn't have anything suspicious on her... Besides her motive for today's situation. Trying to clear her blood filled mouth, she swallowed thickly but regretted it right away when her throat protested. She could already feel the bruises forming across her throat on the shape of long, monstrous fingers. Her voice was disappearing as well, but she spoke anyway.

 _"I'm not a thief."_ She almost face palmed herself at the stupid answer... _That's exactly what thieves say_! She scowled herself, but continued _"I'm a traveler. I landed here three nights ago... I suppose I chose your window because it was the first one that caught my attention, as the others were locked shut."_ She took a deep breath and proceeded _" As for today, I honestly don't have any answer. I was supposed to leave once my log pose sets, but instead I found myself here…."_

 As stupid and embarrassing as it was to say it out loud, she knew that leaving anything out will displease him, and make her a liar. It was killing her to even be in the same room as him, but she had to be calm and levelheaded if she were to negotiate anything with him.

 

Doflamingo listened closely, he hadn’t expected an answer, let alone an explanation. Although it was a poor attempt at proving that she wasn’t a thief, he believed her. She didn’t even carry a bag, though it wouldn’t bother him if she was. He felt good that his bird was honest with him. He found himself petting her head, nodding to himself and muttering.

_“Good girl.”_

The female almost growled at the ridiculous gesture, but her throat protested. Instead, she clicked her tongue in frustration and glared at her own lap.

But it wasn’t anywhere _near_ enough, Doflamingo wanted to make sure his little bird knew just how much trouble she was in for hiding her wings without his permission. With that, he resumed his little game with a stern face and a chilling dark laugh.

_“Fufufuf! If you think detouring off our subject will get you off the hook, you should have thought twice before stepping a foot in my territory. Let alone disrespect me in my own palace, little bird.”_

His cunning smirk never left him as he noticed the smallest flinch from his little victim, and the look of confusion. when she noted what he had just said, her eyebrows knitted together questionably at him, which made Doflamingo’s smirk widen in amusement.

 _“Oh? I take it you are quite the oblivious one, little bird.”_ He closed the distance, and resumed explaining.

 _“I’m quite upset, I thought I was known all over the seas... But it seems not.”_ he feigned being hurt as he continued his long strides, finally stopping in front of his confused captive. He bent down to her level, placing both hands on the armrests and caging her as he licked his lips and whispered.

 _“The name’s Donquixote -”_ But her faint voice cut in.

 _“Doflamingo”_ She breathed out his name as se connected the dots.

She had heard about the notorious pirate that joined The World Government. She even read a little about unfortunate encounters from multiple newspapers about people who ticked the dangerous Shichibukai off. Another was apparently his mysterious devil fruit that was still merely a speculation among the rest. Aside from that little information, she never really saw a photo of him, and she cursed her luck at that. If she had seen it even once, she would have recognized just who she met that damn night, and how dangerous he was. She was always good with memorizing faces, but all of that is in the past now; because she just realized how damn unfortunate she was.

_“That’s right, little bird.”_

Doflamingo’s voice hauled her thoughts, and she frowned when she remembered just how close he was. She could feel warm puffs of air hit her face, she shrunk back into the chair as much as she could…. Away from him.

 _“Fufufu! I’m quite curious about your wings… Is it due to a devil fruit_?” He mused out, he figured he would get whatever he could get out of her, before demanding she shows him what he has been aching to see.

 

She continued to glare sideways, internally debating whether or not to answer. The information about his true identity left a bad taste in her mouth, she recalled the stories she would hear from townspeople, and pirates whenever she would pick up an interesting conversation. True or not, this man is pure evil. And if she doubted that then, she sure as fuck doesn’t now. With a decision, she sighed as she answered not taking her eyes from whatever she was glaring at in the distance.

 _“It **is** a devil fruit, though I’m not familiar with its name or model.” _ She turned her head, glaring harder at his glasses. _“I’m sure in The New World it’s quite… common.”_ She squeezed the last word with malice.

It was her message to him, as if telling him that she knew his true intentions. She had figured he was carrying out a conversation, rather than actually seek information. He smiled, crossing his arms while he once again stood to his looming height.

 _“Of course they are, little bird. Although yours looks to be a Zoan type, it doesn’t seem quite like the others.”_ She remained quiet, staring at him in slight curiosity.

_“Even though it’s quite intriguing. I’m more interested in knowing how would you manage to cross The Red Line… since you don’t seem to be from The New World.”_

Doflamingo had guessed right as he watched his little bird drop her gaze to her lap, he didn’t miss the dark look that crossed her features. If he would guess it would probably be… _Dread_.

It was dead silent as Doflamingo awaited his answer, but it seemed that his little bird’s mind was off somewhere else as various emotions crossed her face. From paranoia, fear, to confusion. It was most likely she was having a throwback remembering something and from the looks of it, it wasn’t a happy memory. It dragged into a couple of minutes, until she took a shaky breath and answered monotonously.

 _“On a merchant’s ship.”_ Doflamingo’s mood instantly soured, and he tried to stay calm before he slammed her against a wall again. _How dare she lie to a God like myself_. The sense of pride in having any honesty with his little bird was shattered, and he found himself fuming as his fingers twitched manically, cracking sickeningly.

 

The female’s gaze was lost somewhere on the carpeted floor, she was trying to fight back the resurfacing memories and dark thoughts that filled her tormented mind. A surprised gasp of pain left her when she felt a jabbing pain that spread like wild fire in her left shoulder. Frantic eyes looked down, only to widen in panic when the familiar handle of her own dagger met her. It was all the way in her shoulder, pinning it to the back of the hard wooden chair, showing exactly how much force it was thrown towards her.

Her breathing grew heavy and she bet her lower lip not to scream out in pain and frustration. She tried staying still, not to irritate the open wound any further or cause the weapon to dig any deeper. She felt cold sweat break, and her body started shivering as a fever hit her. Said wound was bleeding from both sides, causing her to feel dizzy and sick. The female found herself lean on her right side gently as her body only seemed to tremble harder. With hazy half lidded eyes, she tiredly stared at her captor.

 

Doflamingo on the other hand was thankful for his unplanned attack. While he was seething with anger, he failed to notice his fingers twitching as he sent the dagger flying towards his little bird. He was contemplating killing her right then and there for lying to his face, and ignoring his question that followed. But the dagger seemed to do it for now, Doflamingo thought. His frown eased a little, hands unclenching, he relaxed his stiff posture as veins slowly faded alongside with the creases in between his eyebrows.

He was surprised he was this angry, it seemed that his little bird had a talent at stirring his self-control and calmness. The cunning king smirked at the thought of her fierce fighting spirit despite her small size. As if just remembering, his eyes locked with his fragile victim. Humming at her petty state, Doflamingo stalked right next to her. He took ahold of the back of her head, his fingers lacing through her hair while the tips of them pressed gently into her scalp. The Shichibukai clicked his tongue and gave her a few rough shakes, noticing her eyes fluttering under closed lids while her eyebrows drew together into a deep frown.

 _She is not out of it yet._ Doflamingo noted and spoke in a deep, yet smooth voice, taunting his little victim.

_“Ah ah…. You can’t go to sleep yet, little bird.”_

He tugged her head towards him, while he bent down to meet her halfway, stopping only when her weak pants hit his face. Her outstretched neck was displayed, and Doflamingo took pride in the bruises on the clammy skin around her throat. He watched as her eyes opened only halfway and stared at him, confused. They were glossy and unfocused. Her lips were parted, allowing shallow breaths to escape her weakened body, each exhale going straight to Doflamingo’s lips as if it was a faint summery breeze.

The Shichibukai shuddered slightly at the defeated and pained look on his little bird’s face. She was in this state because of him, he caught her and did this to her without her even standing a chance. He felt his pants tighten as his thoughts kept distracting him. Gulping lightly, he forced himself to snap out of his own problem and he shook his little bird a couple of times to grasp her attention, but it seemed not enough. Her eyes closed and her head leaned into his hold limply.

 _“Disrespecting brat.”_ Doflamingo hissed, scolding his half-conscious bird while he leaned to whisper in her ear.

 _“Maybe you need a little pleasure to counter your pain, hmm?”_ He smirked as he continued to focus on the rhythm of his little bird’s beating heart through his own blood rushing in his ears. He stroked the side of her neck with his lips, unable to function properly due to the intoxicating smell of blood that filled his nostrils and drowned his senses.

 

Said victim was struggling to stay awake and _sane_ against the agonizing pain, her mind was so clouded and she continued to _try_ and breath properly. It seemed that even that simple task was consuming her energy and concentration, the feeling of a gentle touch on her sensitive and bruised throat faintly breached through her half-functioning senses, causing a shudder to run through her at what could be causing it. She wanted so badly to sleep, yet the extreme pain prevented her from doing so. And with each passing moment, breathing became quite the mission. She felt her chest tightening and her lungs burning whenever she took a deep breath, so she just stuck to small, shallow breaths. Her body was quivering and shaking, causing her shoulder to rub repeatedly against the dagger logged into it. She grimaced when she felt a hot breath on her face, accompanied by fingers _gently_ scratching her scalp, it was so wrong she wanted to throw up.    

Struggling to open her eyes, the sickening image of Doflamingo met her. Although it was blurry and unfocused, his smirk was visible and as evil as ever. Her heart involuntarily tugged at her in panic as his words tumbled through her fogged mind. It took her sometime to even separate the words in her head, but when the words were forged into a sentence, her posture stiffened in worry and fear. Her hands clenched, while her heart rate resonated through her ears. Her deep panicked breaths caused her burning chest to ache painfully, but she ignored it as she swallowed in dread.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	8. Special episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get a glimpse at a *wink* upcoming story development and spend the new year's eve with the Donquixote family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening!! Oh my God, I'm extremely sorry *hides in a corner*. I had a slightly different idea for this chapter, and it was meant to go up before Christmas, but as you can already tell ... it didn't happen. I had a few tests and I still have a couple more, but I'll try to have chapter seven up hopefully next Saturday. Also, next chapter will have an important announcement.  
> Also... HAPPY NEW YEAR.

The city of Dressrosa was full of happy vibes due to the holiday season. The streets were bustling with people of all ages, some attending to their gift shopping, while others were busy screaming their best purchase offers. Moms were smiling down at their over hyped children, while some dads were carrying their kids on their shoulders, all of their attention was on the big stage that was standing high and flashy in the island's square. A couple of beautiful women were currently dancing along to the sweet and hypnotizing rhythms, and if you look closely you can see a not so rare sight of young teens with roughed up clothes, pickpocketing anyone who piqued their interests.

On a place a little farther than the shopping square, lies the King's palace. Inside were multiple servants and maids rustling on and about, trying to do their jobs while some newbies kept bumping into each other. Though newbie or not, they all had a distraught and stressed expression. The palace was decorated to perfection…. Still it was the king's territory, they had to do more than their best, or a twisted fate would meet them. Be it Pica's terrifying devil fruit ability, or even one of Baby 5's bullets. It was a rule, you can't just halfheartedly do anything and expect to get away with it.

Most of the people of Dressrosa didn't even realize that there was someone pulling the strings and controlling them, but the individuals working for the man himself, could possibly vouch for a few rumors about the evil Shichibukai.... _At least_ some of them had faced him, and the equally terrifying crew of his. It's safe to say it got ugly sometimes in the tucked away confines of the palace.

Doflamingo himself was more than comfortable on his usual velvety couch, legs crossed with a denden mushi in hand.

_“It’s not like you, joker. Though I’ll accept it fully.”_ A dark almost intangible voice rasped through the tiny device.

_“Fufufu! Consider it a bonus, I’m feeling generous today.”_ The cunning Shichibukai uncrossed his long legs and reached for his obnoxiously expensive glass of wine.

_“Generous indeed…. It’s quite the amount.”_ The same raspy voice agreed with an _almost_ invisible suspicious tone, but added.

_“With this, I might need to start that other thing already. It’s a matter of time before everything comes to an end.”_

Doflamingo was almost vibrating from how deep he was laughing, he seemed disturbing and probably even insane.

_“Fufufu!! I can’t wait!!”_ He exclaimed, but it was only because _this_ topic always got his blood bubbling with excitement that he was like this

Two calculated knocks were at the door, and a faint female voice politely announced through the thick wood.

_“Doflamingo, Master. Dinner is ready.”_

It was silent for a few seconds, Doflamingo knew he had to halt the discussion due to the _other’s_ dislike of an audience. And he wasn’t wrong when he heard his next words.

_“I will contact you some other time to finish the rest of the deal, joker.”_ The voice on the other end of the line stated before the signal went out _._

Doflamingo emptied the rest of the glass in one gulp and stood up, heading to the door.

Meanwhile in the dining hall, the dinner has been hauled off. The maids and servants were obediently waiting aside, with their hands behind their stiff, straightened backs.  The rest of the family was having a blast chatting, laughing, and would even occasionally throw a few remarks towards a certain curly haired someone that was sitting on her usual seat besides the king himself.

 

At this point though, the dark haired female was just about ready to ditch out and get the hell back to her reading. Amidst all the commotion the maid caused when she busted through the doors of the king’s room to literally drag her here, she forgot to bring her book along. Though it annoyed her to end, she was more occupied with the fact that **_he_** wasn’t here yet. Somehow it relieved her, but at the same time a small part of her felt uneasy. She faintly heard Diamante’s and Trebol’s conversation, and she managed to pick up a few words. Apparently he received an ‘urgent work call’ and had to take care of it. Knowing the nature of his work, it was probably the usual shady shit he gets involved in.

Nonetheless, she was bored out of her mind and she didn’t like that she had to wait for him. But for some reason, she didn’t want to just get up and leave…. _You can’t do it, you coward_. The mocking voice sneered at her and she frowned deeply at its forwardness.

She was on the verge of exploding out of frustration when a booming, distinct laugh vibrated through the open space.

_“Fufufuf!”_

All noise was abruptly stopped, conversations were left hanging in the air, and the attention of pretty much everyone in the room was on the new comer. A couple of the helpless workers gulped at the sudden noticeable shift of atmosphere, it got too suffocating and threatening in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, it was very unsettling and extremely uncomfortable to be in the same room as _him._

_“Dear family, let us enjoy our feast!”_

The prideful king announced elegantly with a semi- genuine smile, and that was all the other members needed to hear, because they roared in laughter and cheers all at once. The adults clicked their wine glasses, while the younger two of the family started stuffing food down their throats.

But a certain curly haired female was all but happy with the situation, she couldn’t care less about the damn new yea’s dinner, nor about being put in a room with a bunch of rowdy and ruthless pirates…. It was _his_ family. _Why should she be dragged into this? She was a slave wasn’t she? A captive, whatever the naming was, it didn’t matter_. What mattered, was her wish to never be associated to them…. no matter what. She would never be one of them, she refused it with all of her willpower.

She lowered her head, gaze dropping to her lap as her frizzy, dark locks hid her teeth gritting roughly against each other. She felt sick and agitated, it was a God awful feeling that only got stronger the more she tried to ignore it. Her eyes blazed with an unbearable amount of malice and hatred, causing her frown to deepen.

“DOFFY!”

A loud shriek came from Diamante, who stood up swiftly, causing the back of the chair to hit the marble floor loudly. His wide eyes contrasted with the panicked and worried look on his face.

A glass shattering sound resonated through the now eerily silent hall, causing the other members to snap their gazes to the sight of Doflamingo’s bird, held at least 3 inches above ground from her shirt by Gladius who was fuming in anger.

His hands were already half inflated and his face was red from how unbelievably mad he was… to the point of physically shaking. His harsh breathing was the only sound he could hear over the blood rushing in his ears. He found himself acting with little to zero self-control, he tightened his grip and leaned closer to growl in the disciple’s repulsive face.

_” I’m going to kill you! How dare you!?”_

His whole arm inflated and he kept his glare locked with a dark, hollow pair of eyes that stared back blankly but in an oddly intense way at the same time. He was slightly surprised by her lack of reaction, she chose to just hang limply in his hold, like a broken doll.

_“Gladius!!”_ Baby5 screamed in panic _“Young master-...”_

Her voice lowered at the end and the faint warning was received as Gladius huffed in irritation, but dropped the dark haired disciple anyway.

Said female landed on wobbly legs, but managed to regain her balance.

_“Doffy...”_ Trebol was the first to utter a single word out, the atmosphere was so heavy it was impossibly frightening.

Trebol’s hesitant mind told him to advance and try to do something, but he just remained in his spot, unmoving and bearing a pinning gaze along with uncertain thoughts. It wasn’t helping that he couldn’t see his face, Doflamingo had his head hanging slightly making his expression unreadable even to his closest family members.

His fingers twitched lightly and the sound of clattering was the only sound that ever came of him, otherwise he was dead quite. A bloody butter knife fell to the ground, instantly turning the fancy and sparkling marble into a mess of splattered blood.

It was as if everyone was expecting their punishment, as if it was _their_ fault. But that’s what the evil Shichibukai’s aura radiated, pure darkness.

_“…Baby5”_

It was the only thing the blonde uttered, though it was clear he was battling something mentally, his voice was adamant and heard.

It was a silent order for the brunette and she muttered, startled.

_“Right away, young master.”_

She forced her wavering legs to move towards the younger dark haired female and she immediately grasped her by her arm, dragging her away from the hall, and to the _other_ side of the palace. It was safer to be hidden for a bit, at least that’s what she understood from her young master’s sole order to her.

 

 

Baby5 tried to ignore the constant whining coming from behind her, while she kept nonchalantly dragging the younger brunette down various hallways, she was desperately trying to get her to a safe enough place. She wasn’t going to let this easy mission fail her in front of her young master, especially not when he is in _that_ state.

_“Oi! I said let go of me! Are you deaf?!”_

Baby5 clicked her tongue in slight annoyance when her concentration was cracking, on top of that, the difficult individual she was handling was nowhere near cooperative. Coming to a halt, she dropped her grasp and spoke in a serious tone.

_“Listen, it’s not like I have nothing better to do, and you are not helping me in the slightest.”_ She continued despite the sour and irritated look she was receiving _“Young master gave me an order, and whether you like it or not, I’m following it. For some reason he decided to let you go this time, but next time, you won’t be as fortunate.”_ She watched in silence as the younger just crossed her hands stubbornly and averted her narrowed eyes to the side.

Sighing, the elder advised a little less harsh this time.

_“You might be in luck… because for some odd reason, young master wants you alive. But just keep in mind that might change someday.”_

The slight twitch of her fingers as they tightened around her upper arm didn’t go unnoticed by Baby5. It was quiet for a while before the female simply walked passed her, she appeared as if she was trying to suppress her bottled emotions but her wavering voice accompanied by her heavy tone failed her.

_“You are mistaken though… I wouldn’t call my situation particularly lucky.”_

When their eyes locked sideways, Baby5 almost gasped at how void her dark gaze was, despite her tone that was full of different emotions. _J-just how damaged is she??!_ Her inner voice exclaimed, surprised.

 

Slumping down on the damp grass of the closed off garden, the female muttered in an irritated manner.

_“Honestly, everyone thinks they can just yank me around like a fucking piece of furniture.”_

It was late in the evening at this point, the weather was extremely cold due to the winter season, but it was at least away from _them._ She flopped the pages of the book a little too rough, she actually ripped a couple of pages off, but she was hardly to be blamed for it. It seemed that with each passing second, her bottled frustration would threaten to blow up. Trying to keep herself calm and collected, she resumed reading from her previous bookmark.

 

 

Back in the dining hall, the general atmosphere has lifted up a little after a few more silent and unnerving minutes, Doflamingo proceeded to his usual seat without as much as to even look at his wounded arm. It took the top executives a while to gather themselves back, and for Pica’s screechy voice to threaten one of the maids to bury her alive if she didn’t attend to Doffy’s wound right away, which caused the flustered maid to scurry away to get the royal family’s doctor.

After sanitizing his wound and stitching it, the doctor got up and left. Trebol once again tried to attempt to test Doffy’s mood.

_“Doffy… Are yo-..”_ But he was interrupted.         

_“Let’s eat.”_

It came out a little _too_ calm for anyone’s liking, but they had no other choice but to sit down and do as he said. The sound of the scraping of chairs filled the quiet room, and the servants got the hint to start serving dinner.

The Donquixote family ate in complete silence, until Sugar’s childish suggestion broke it.

_“Young master, would you like I turn her into a cute little obedient toy for you?”_ The green haired girl asked with innocence that was far more sinister than her deceiving looks.

The rest of the members watched Doflamingo as he abandoned his spoon and reached for his glass of wine, taking a long sip of it to hide his widening smirk. Trebol was just about to scold Sugar for her nuisance when the Shichibukai’s laugh erupted, surprising everyone.

_“Fufufufu! That is a very tempting proposal, Sugar.”_

Everyone knew that Doflamingo had an especially protective and soft side for Sugar, because despite her not so young age, she had always been this small from the beginning, and everyone considered her their younger sister. The surprise soon vanished when they felt how much relaxed the King’s posture got, and the sudden drop of deathly aura surrounding them.

Wanting to be just as helpful, Jora offered enthusiastically.

_“I can turn her into a beautiful painting for you, Young master!”_

Doflamingo’s mood was lifting up slowly but surely, he knew his family always had his back. Their sense of duty and extreme fidelity was well known to him too. But what still bothered him was the look on _her_ face, he didn’t like it one bit. It reminded him of something he so fully and with all his existence loathed…. Yet, it was targeted at him _once again._

He wasn’t taken back by the attack as much as he was with her choice of weapon. Which he was surprised a butter knife could actually pierce his skin, let alone cause him to bleed. It seemed that her hatred fueled her that moment. Doflamingo could feel his inner demon start to bubble with an unidentified dark emotion that was a cross between fury and pleasure. The sound of laughter and chatting caught his attention and he tuned in just in time Pica’s squeaky voice addressed him.

_“Doffy!  Don’t listen to these two. That disciple only deserves to be squeezed to death by me!”_

Doflamingo listened silently to Pica as he rambled about how he was going to kill **his** little bird as a way of repaying her for hurting Doffy, to which Gladius agreed with him under his breath.

_“Tch, I would like to see that.”_ It was clear he was still irritated that he was stopped earlier.

_“Fufufufuf! I appreciate your offers, although I’ll have to decline them.”_

The commotion was quieted down by this, and they waited for his next words with slight curiosity.

Doflamingo’s expression was that of a mad man, it was pure evil. With his sinister smile, he spoke in a menacing tone.

_“… Because I have better use of her alive.”_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	9. Chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.  
> Hello, welcome back! No, I'm not dead, I just got caught up with life. Anyway, how are you doing?? how's life??  
> My announcement is.... I'm putting this story on hold, not because of anything but because I don't want to rush it. You see, up to this point the story was physically written, and this was the last chapter I detailed. I have the rest of this story planned, but as ideas and random paragraphs. So I need a couple of weeks to continue it properly, and I hope you guys understand. I'm only doing this because I want to put out the best for the readers of this story.  
> ENJOYYY!!

 

**_Previously:_ **

_“Disrespecting brat.” Doflamingo hissed, scolding his half-conscious bird while he leaned to whisper in her ear._

_“Maybe you need a little pleasure to counter your pain, hmm?”_

_It took her sometime to even separate the words in her head, but when the words were forged into a sentence, her posture stiffened in worry and fear. Her deep panicked breaths caused her burning chest to ache painfully, but she ignored it as she swallowed in dread._

 

 

When panic showed on her face, Doflamingo grinned in achievement and with a firm grip on her, he tugged her face closer. His lips smashed against hers roughly, instantly licking her blood off them like it was some kind of sweet sauce. He bit her lower lip and tugged while his other hand dropped to her right shoulder, engulfing it as he applied pressure over the already wounded area. He felt his little bird squirming in pain but stood her ground, because she resisted his invading tongue. He huffed and moved to the other shoulder. With his wide palm, he pressed the butt of the already bloody dagger even deeper into her torn flesh. This time, his bird opened her mouth as a muffled scream of agony was silenced by his assaulting tongue going straight for the kill.

A low, half intentional groan fell from Doflamingo at how slick and extremely warm his little bird was, and he took the liberty to explore each tiny space with his long, skilled tongue. When he deemed it enough, he pressed his tongue persistently against his little bird’s much smaller one and proceeded to give it the same treatment as earlier, sucking it and occasionally biting it.  The blonde tried to ignore the blood rushing to a certain area, causing his pants to feel uncomfortably tight. His breath too, was heavy and filled with anticipation. He had planned to only traumatize his prey to snap back to consciousness, but it proved to not be the case due to his mind solely focusing on chasing its own desires. Also, his little bird’s helpless and weak struggle was just too arousing to the evil Shichibukai.

A few grunts and moans of protest were all she could squeeze out through the ordeal as his abnormal tongue kept fiercely toying with her as he pleased, and she knew she had no choice but to accept the mouth fucking. As a last resort she tried clamping down on his tongue, but failed from how much it was filling her mouth, it frustrated her to no end. She could feel her jaw starting to ache from the extreme pressure, and her tongue felt heavy and numb from the over stimulation and rough bites. Even his hand that was still buried deep in her hair was equally as persistent, she couldn’t shake it off no matter how hard she tried.

Doflamingo made sure to survey each spot twice, if not more until he was satisfied. He picked up the taste of blood mostly, alongside a strong substance that would be non-other than coffee, and surprisingly enough… cigarettes. Though it was faint, he recognized the bitter taste of the toxin from his younger days. He couldn’t help but smirk into his little bird’s mouth when images of her mischievously smoking despite her young age, but a twitch in his pants concluded that it didn’t matter young or not, as long as it tasted this good off her tongue. 

It seemed like it lasted for ages, but the Shichibukai ceased his assault after he had vacated her thorough fully. He slightly pulled back, but kept his lips so close to his little bird’s as they shared pants and deep breathes intimately as if they were a couple. A string of saliva was still connecting him to his little bird, who seemed mortified and angry at the same time. It was an exciting and thrilling sight to behold really. His slightly swollen lips stretched into his signature dark smirk. His grasp slightly softened as his fingers worked skillfully, giving his bird a small scalp massage while he relished on her flushed cheeks and hazy eyes staring somewhere, unfocused. Licking his lips, he couldn’t help but still taste her and feel her warmth on him.

 _“Now, little bird…”_ he teasingly prolonged his sentence, dragging each syllable as he enjoyed the helpless and defeated look on her face.

_“Now that you are awake... how about I see those wings of yours, hmm?”_

His long, callous fingers dragged chillingly slow against the skin of her jaw, stopping only to give a few gentle taps as if to catch her attention as he waited for an answer.

The dark haired female felt dirty and sick, mostly dirty though. She felt the blood already drying and causing some areas to feel crinkly, and she still tasted and felt his harassing tongue on hers, adding to her self-hatred. The fever only intensified with each passing second, and so did the headache. It seemed that her senses were failing her, she could barely see through the blurriness.

She hated how she unintentionally thought about his request of showing her wings, just for the sake of ending whatever this hell of a situation she had gotten herself into. But she knew it wasn’t the case, and he wasn’t the type to negotiate shit. It took her some willpower and major self-control to refrain from accepting pityingly. Instead, she managed a scoff all the while she attempted to glare at what she assumed was his face even though it appeared fuzzy.

She felt his hold tightening causing her discomfort, but her frustration was briefly dismissed when he gave her a couple of rough shakes in an attempt of getting an answer out of her. She groaned when the throbbing in her poor head increased, doubling her headache. if it wasn’t for her battered state, she would have taken pride in making the other this agitated. His level of anger was impossible to miss through his actions, and it was quite amusing to the female somehow.

Doflamingo fumed in annoyance all the while he continued demanding his victim to comply to his order, but she insisted on angering him by either scoffing or just straight out ignore his presence.

 _Such a stubborn motherfucker._ The female thought, trying to suppress a grunt when his hand fisted her hair so rough, she wouldn’t be surprised if he ripped a few strands. Nonetheless, she stood her ground and refused time after time.

Doflamingo gritted his teeth, he was slightly out of breath from yelling and he took a few seconds to collect his breath and thoughts.

His hands seemed to lose its death grip and the female found herself sigh in relief, she closed her eyes to try and regain her sight back when she felt him calm enough. _Ugh… I feel like I might pass out again soon if I don’t do anything._ She had noted her fever and cracked head were draining whatever little energy she tried to restore.

Her eyebrows narrowed in a frown when she felt his warm breath coming closer, with effort she opened her eyes as best as she could, squinting to focus as his face neared. Leaning in, he lowly threatened.

_“Listen little bird… I might be a really patient man, but that’s on days where I don’t have to deal with insolent brats in early mornings, with a fucking annoying headache no less.”_

By the end of it he was practically growling like a wild animal.

The female tried not to roll her eyes at his sudden grumpy behavior and break in character, but when she opened her mouth, she knew whatever shit was going to come out was bound to piss him off the edge. With a snort, she retorted.

 _“Well, that makes two of us then.”_ Her hoarse voice sassily snapped, referring to the headache.

 _Honestly, he is being whiney_. She thought. While she on the other hand, despite the pounding headache, it was the least of her worries compared to her torn state.

The Shichibukai stilled and just stared, surprised that she would talk back in her state. Let alone in that… _tone_. It made his skin itch and his sick, twisted mind was instantly filled with various innovative ideas. One which how he was going to cut her tongue and shove it so far down her throat, she eventually dies of asphyxiation. 

In a fit of blind rage, his right hand pulled her by her hair so hard, a pained yelp left her. His cold, shadowed eyes stared emotionlessly at her face that was scrunched up in hurt and distress. But what tipped him off even more was the look on her eyes, she glared at him with passion.

Doflamingo raised his left hand and with his index finger he shallowly poked her already twisted shoulder and released a bullet string that was so powerful, it went through her shoulder, to the chair, and into the wall behind her. He felt good watching his little bird’s eyes roll to the back of her head, and a dry sob leave her quivering lips. He kept admiring how her body weakly slumped against the chair as the newly wound he gifted her oozed blood. It was big enough that the bone was visible, though it was unscathed, showing his precision.

His hands unclutched her and she immediately feel back to the chair limply. The king took a couple of deep breaths and made sure to exhale slowly and once again, he reached for his victim.  He patted her hanging head lightly and took ahold of her chin, lifting her to his inspecting eyes.

It took her a few moments to open her eyes. They were bloodshot and brimmed with tears. And as if her face wasn’t already covered in so much blood, a fresh trail of it was dripping down her chin. Doflamingo found himself infatuated by the line of crimson as it slid down her bruised throat slowly as if taunting and disappeared under the t-shirt’s collar, soaking the already bloodied and tattered piece of cloth in more blood.

Her tongue lapped at the blood coating her lips while she tried to control her leaping heart, it was strumming violently against her ribcage. She remained calm despite the pain and fear and weakly stared at her captor as he leaned in.

 _“I might be fond of your fighting spirit, little bird...”_ his hands caged her from both sides as he leaned even closer, licking his lips sadistically.

_“But you are too disrespecting and disobedient.”_

His voice dropped to a whisper _“I can promise you so much pain that’ll bring you so awfully close to the relief of death, and let me assure you that I can get very creative, little bird.”_

At this point, his enormous head was pressed to his little bird’s as he threatened coldly. He could feel the wavering in her demeanor as her breathing quickened rapidly hitting his jaw in warm puffs, and by the hitch of her breath he realized it was only a matter of rightfully chosen words and his little prey would break down. So he continued with a cold tone that hid a certain strong emotion.

 _“I would start off by letting every.single.one of my men have you…”_ his hand trailed down her arm, taking notice of the goosebumps following his trail all the way. When he reached her fingers, he felt them twitch, indicating his win and he smirked at that.

_“Though I doubt you’d survive that.”_

Her heart was collapsing and she felt her chest close in on it. Her pants turned deep and rough, she felt her lungs burn. Each and every muscle was aching, and her wounds throbbed painfully.

Doflamingo was sure his bird was hyperventilating, he could feel her heartbeat bouncing against his lips as he kept them close over her jugular, basking in the arousing scent of utter fear. Her harsh breaths sounded as if she _forgot_ how to properly breath.

Just like a wild animal, she snapped. A wave of adrenaline hit her and amidst all the fear and anger, she thrashed and resisted against her bindings like a mad person. The pain from having the strings digging their way through her skin was forgotten as images of filthy, low people violating her body were displayed in her mind. Angry tears filled her eyes and her frustration only grew when her current state kept taunting her. A trail of curses was muttered incoherently as she kept struggling.

Unfortunately though, it was like a switch being turned off, she felt her body suddenly still and she slumped uselessly to the chair. Her head hanging low as her eyes stared emptily at her lap. She tried, she really did, to push herself to get back to fighting, but her body just wouldn’t listen to her screaming mind. A croaked mutter of despair was all that she could muster.

_“.. sh…it”_

The room was silent, it only made her more aware of the blood rushing in her ears and the loud thumps of her heart. But after all, she was still conscious - _barely-_

Firmly holding her chin, Doflamingo raised her face to place a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth, which earned him a faint whimper. He felt his little bird shudder at his next words.

_“I would kill them all afterwards.”_

Of course the blonde wasn’t interested in following up to his threat, but he knew that it would earn him leverage against his stubborn bird. His eyes darkened drastically behind his glasses and his scowl deepened at the thought of anyone else even talking to his little bird, let alone see her in this state. No one was allowed to witness her current state or be the one to cause it but him. The familiar urge to own all of someone and be the purpose of their existence washed over the Shichibukai, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration when images of his dead brother filled his head. He felt his skin setting ablaze and itch with malice when he remembered the day he was reunited with Corazon. Though he didn’t change much, he wasn’t the same anymore. It always irked his older brother to no end when he tried to regain their special bond, only to be shut down. It seemed that all those years that his younger sibling spent away from him…. _with God knows who._.. made him forget their _connection_. As if they were strangers from the beginning. 

Doflamingo’s hand wrapped around his bird’s throat so hard, the previous bruises were bound to be overpowered by new, much permanent ones. He squeezed, watching as her face turned red and her mouth opened in shock. Her eyes teared and she remained helplessly still, having no energy or chance to resist. Doflamingo moved closer and closed his lips over his bird’s to ravish her slick and hot crevice once more, all the while he possessively pressed her towards him.

Her lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen and her body felt numb. It was a terrifying situation she was in, slowly being brought to unconsciousness with no means of stopping it. She was defenseless and it irritated her. She knew he was only taking advantage of kissing her, just to sneakily steal whatever little air she managed to get. It was his way of knocking her out faster… and it worked. Her whole body ached terribly for air and her head felt heavy. With one last sound of protest, she closed her eyes, allowing darkness to consume her completely.

A small whine reached Doflamingo’s ears, before his bird fell lax in his firm hold. He pulled back slightly to examine his prey, even when asleep, her face was constructed with pain. The Shichibukai trailed his gaze from her furrowed brows downwards, noticing how red her parted lips were and he knew it wasn’t from the blood.

He straightened up and sighed reluctantly. A tanned, rough hand went to his spikey, golden cropped hair and fisted in a distressed manner. All the while, with closed eyes and narrowed eyebrows. Taking a long and deep breath, the blonde reopened his eyes. He was a little bit surprised when his gaze landed on the huge window, the sight of the sun slowly peeking gave him an idea of how long he had spent with his little bird unknowingly. He took his big feathery coat and carefully dropped it on his unmade bed, following right after and slumping next to it.

Deciding it was enough for today, he got up shortly after and approached his little silent prey. Using his left hand to steady her shoulder, his right hand reached to the dagger and swiftly pulled it out. whining lowly but remaining asleep, his little bird merely turned her head to rest it on other side. He haphazardly stitched the wound and released her from his strings.

Her wrists were sliced open, streaks of blood trailed from the shredded wound all the way to the tips of her fingers, eventually dripping to the floor and creating a pool of bright red.

The eerily calm Shichibukai rubbed his temples to ease the pounding and lazily grabbed a baby den-den mushi off the bedside table.

After the second ring, a feminine young voice politely greeted him with an enthusiastic ‘Good morning!’ to which the tired blonde greeted back quickly and dived right into the subject.

_“Baby5, I have a mission. Bring Buffalo along, both of you come to my room right away.”_

His tone and use of words left no place for questions. Upon receiving a hurried ‘Right away, young master.’ the Shichibukai cut the connection and dismissed the den-den mushi on a nearby shelf.

It didn’t take longer than a couple of minutes for a subtle knock that could only belong to a certain blue haired female to resonate through the thick, wooden double doors. After all she has always used the same pattern of four consecutive and slightly melodic knocks.

 _“Come in.”_ The Shichibukai tiredly muttered.

A blob of blue, well defined curls appeared, followed by a massive male that wore an obnoxiously yellow fur coat. The female was the one that went ahead to the Shichibukai, who was sitting silently on the window sill.

 _“Young master…”_ Baby5’s tone was hesitant and careful. She didn’t even proceed with her sentence; she knew better than to speak when not spoken to.

She also wasn’t that oblivious, she already gathered enough clues as to why she was called here and guessed what her ‘mission’ was. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to catch the horrible, but somehow casual sight of the bloody body slumped motionlessly on the chair. The scent of blood has invaded her senses ever since she rounded up the hallway to this room. It was so strong and vivid; making it kind of hard to ignore it.

The Shichibukai finally acknowledged her with a momentary glance before his head turned back to the same spot he was staring at previously, which was the same chair a possible dead body occupied. The atmosphere wasn’t necessarily heavy, but it was overbearing and a little bit unnerving. Though a couple of questions were threatening to spill out of her mouth, Baby5 remained silent and kept a neutral expression.

_“Take her to the infirmary and make sure to stay with her at all times, clear?”_

His deep, demanding voice startled the female, but she was quick to recover and reply with little to no hesitation.

_“Yes, young master.”_

She hoped her curiosity didn’t seep through her words, her gaze locked with her bulky, dark haired partner and a silent message was thrown between them. With a shared nod, they proceeded to the chair, slowly and with much attention.

Buffalo was the one who ended up carrying the bloody and unidentified intruder, and baby5 followed suit. Before she closed the doors behind completely, the Shichibukai’s smooth voice yet again addressed her.

_“Make sure to report back every other hour.”_

His voice was laced with laziness and exhaustion. Which was slightly untypical of him, and the reasoning behind it only piqued the blue haired female’s curiosity.

_“Of course, young master.”_

Her response was as always filled with respect and submission.

Even though the Shichibukai was lost in his own thoughts, he knew it hadn’t been a full hour since his subordinates came to his room. That’s why when he heard the recognizable knocks at the door once again, he was a little taken back.

 _“Young master, it’s me.”_ Baby5 felt the need to announce her presence even though she knew the other’s Haki has already taken care of that.

_“Come in.”_

The Shichibukai decided to see what she had to say first before he questioned her sudden visit, even when he made it clear that she was assigned to watch his little bird at all times. Said female entered with a round tray that she carried in both hands, she went to the coffee table and placed it there. She then straightened up and smoothed her burgundy skirt and spoke.

_“I brought you breakfast, I thought you’d prefer a private one today.”_

Doflamingo gazed at the tray full of various plates in silence, but then he lowly thanked her.

 _“I appreciate it.”_  

Instead of leaving though, Baby5 stood at the door, shifting and fidgeting with the ruffles on her apron nervously. The Shichibukai’s gaze sharpened and his eyebrows slightly narrowed at her odd behavior.

 _“What is it?”_ His tone was authoritative and demanding.

Despite her hesitation, Baby5 tried to ignore the lump in her throat and answered immediately.

 _“T-the uhh... intruder was stitched and patched up. Though the doctor still hasn’t properly attended to the internal damage, he was pretty adamant about something.”_ Shifting her weight, Baby5 chewed the cigarette harder and continued.

_“He suspects a serious internal bleeding…. He said a broken rib might have punctured one of her lungs, and since it’s a decently deep wound there is a high chance of losing the patient.”_

The blonde was quiet, his lips pulled down in a frown and his forehead was full of bulging veins. He recovered quickly though and proceeded to give out orders.

 

Closing the door behind, the female exhaled deeply and muttered.

_“This is going to be a long day.”_

She placed another cigarette between her lipstick painted lips and lit it up as she pushed herself off the door, walking away and down the long hallway, heading for the dungeons.

He repeated the newly made plan in his head multiple times, his sense of strategy and planning worked to analyse each concept that might follow up to his plan. It only managed to intensify the throbbing headache, making his hands fly up to his temples to press firmly against them. Though he was sure of one thing, and it was that even though he didn’t have to go to that length, he knew that if he wanted his torture and night of agony that he caused his little bird to really stick with her for eternity, he wanted her alive.

_Alive and aware of what he had done to her, and what was to come._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	10. Chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening.  
> It's been a while, it wasn't planned, but welcome back. This chapter is longer, hopefully you enjoy it.

The doctors diagnose was still repeating itself in Baby5's head as she stared out of the window, the fact that a small and frail body endured this much damage was spectacular and intriguing at the same time.

It's not like Baby 5 herself hadn't suffered a broken rib or a few bruises, but this was on a whole new level. Her curiosity forced a train of questions to surface and she couldn't help her sweet nature to just ignore how damaged and broken this unknown female seemed, physically and probably mentally too. She wanted to know _how exactly did her young master catch her? Where did she come from_? but most importantly… _What did he need her for?_

It was obvious that Doflamingo wanted something from her, that he didn't find her completely useless, but why would he go that far to catch her? Baby 5 has been with her young master for so many years now and she recognized his strength. He could have easily used his strings to immobilize her, yet he almost killed the unknown female in the process. It was odd of him, good thing they had princess Mansherry on their side, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to save her.

The female pirate pursed her lips and chewed the cigarette harder when she recalled Doflamingo's precise instructions of only healing his prisoner enough to stop the internal bleeding and prevent her from dying, he only wanted her alive after all.

 With a frustrated sigh, Baby5 discarded the subject and decided not dwell on it any further. It wasn't her place, nor her responsibility to question her young master’s actions.

With a dragged exhale, the blue haired closed her eyes tiredly, the exhaustion was finally catching up to her. It was about time to take a rest, maybe head for the garden for some fresh air, she though. She has been by the unknown female's side for two- almost three days now, but even with all the stitching up and what princess Mansherry did, it was up to the female to recover, at least that was what the doctor said. Baby 5's heels halted when a mob of rich blonde locks caught her eyes.

 _"Dellinger.."_ Her smooth voice sounded weird to her own ears and she tried to ignore the odd heaviness in her chest.

 _"Oh.. Kyya! Baby 5!!"_ The younger's screechy voice and presence were a welcomed distraction.

 _"What are you doing in here? Didn't young master tell you to report back to him?"_ She almost barked at him, it was a serious matter and she knew the younger executive had clumsy tendencies, but she pushed the punishing lecture aside and instead decided to attend to the more important matter first hand.

_"Huh? But I did. I was on my way to the infirmary to tell you that young master assigned me to watch his slave so you can rest."_

The word 'slave' stirred something inside Baby5 and it bothered her for some unknown reason. She has been acting weird and Dellinger wasn't the only one who had given her an odd look during the past few days.

 _"Hmm?.. Are you okay, Baby5?"_ Dellinger's voice sounded concerned and she quickly gathered herself.

 _"Of course. Now get to your duty."_ She once again tried to ignore the odd look the young boy gave her and resumed walking past him, heading to her own room.

 _"Weird.."_ The other executive mumbled to no one in particular as he skipped down the path that Baby5 just came from, heading for the infirmary.

The sound of the sturdy, monotonic machine was the first thing the young blonde heard when he opened the door. He entered the room while he kept a careful eye on his surroundings, it was an order from his young master- to keep anyone from going in this room specifically, as well as stay on guard- for some odd reason he didn't know and wasn't informed of. He heeded his young master's advice as his eyes finally landed on the unmoving body occupying one of the beds. It was slightly dark due to it being almost evening, but his fighting fish genes gave him an advantage in this situation. If he had accidentally barged into the room, he wouldn't have noticed that someone was sleeping on the bed, it was almost as if nobody was there at all.

 

The hybrid blonde was so engrossed in perfecting his already sharp and long nails that the sudden fierce peeping of the machine _almost_ caught him off guard. 

 _"Hmm?"_ He raised his head to look for the cause of the annoying sound, but was met with nothing out of the ordinary.

The unknown patient was still knocked out and hasn't even moved an inch from her position, but he decided not to ignore it like he initially wanted to. The executive got up and abandoned his nail filer on his seat to walk the short distance, his heels clicking against the marble floor was the only sound besides the still loud machine. Though he had no medical knowledge, he knew that this type of machine was typically used to monitor heartbeats among other things, so the fact that it was going this rapidly made him slightly on edge. 

He knew he was supposed to report back to his young master as soon as he witnessed the patient open their eyes, but he was a little bit intrigued and wanted to satisfy his childish curiosity first... It wouldn't hurt anyone if he reported it a few minutes late, he wanted to have some fun. He stilled his movements and chose to observe silently. The female on the other hand, seemed so out of it she didn't even spare him a glance, her eyes were only opened halfway, they were hazy and lost on the ceiling above her. Aside from that, she remained eerily still, it dragged to a couple more minutes and Dellinger had to wonder just what exactly was she thinking about, but he voiced none of it out. The machine's peeping has slowed down back to normal and the room was now quiet, _too quiet._

Frail, boney fingers clutched the white sheets shakily, before they were slowly lifted towards the ceiling, the female seemed to be reaching for something that she was the only one who was somehow able to see it. Without realizing it, Dellinger approached her side and grasped her trembling hand in his, it was too cold that the younger blonde had to wonder if he was imagining it. After all, they were in the middle of a summery island. The female shifted her eyes from the ceiling and locked her gaze with his. They seemed to take a while to focus on his face properly but he waited patiently for a reaction, something of that sort.... But he never got one.

The female kept staring at him as if he was the most interesting thing on the face of the Earth, it made him speechless. This is not how it's supposed to go, she is supposed to freak out and go frenzy, the blonde thought. Yet, she was calm... Calmer than anyone would be in a situation like hers. Her dull eyes poured into his and he felt the slight twitch of her fingers. He wanted to say something -anything, but he was baffled by her lack of reaction. His desire to mess around and have his fun suddenly evaporated, he dropped her hand and took a step back. The female closed her eyes and that was the last straw for him... _Was she dying?_

Again, he didn't know a damn thing about her situation and he wouldn't be able to give her medical attention for sure. He didn't really care if she was in fact dying, he just preferred if she didn't do it on his watch, he really wasn't looking to upset his young master in anyway. The blonde heard footsteps approaching the door and it soon opened, revealing a young female wearing a maid's outfit. Her flushed face deepened and she apologized sweetly.

_"Um... I'm sorry, I'll come back later. "_

She was about to close the door when Dellinger found himself practically growling at her. 

_"Go get Baby5, now!"_

The maid's expression fell and she stared, dumbfounded at the younger teen in front of her, his eyes were glowing red in the slightly dark room and his fangs were glimmering menacingly.  When she finally found her voice, she squeaked out. 

_"Y-yes, right away."_

As soon as she scurried away, Dellinger felt himself calm down slowly. His fangs retreated and he huffed, feeling moody all of a sudden.

_"Honestly, Dellinger. You just can't seem to do any task no matter how simple it is."_

Baby5 stated after the younger executive explained what had happened, she reached into her night gown and retrieved a cigarette.

She was awakened from her sleep by a hesitant, but permanent knocks on her door -which she would have normally ignored- but she had a feeling it was an urgent matter. She wasn't particularly wrong, but it wasn't at all that urgent. 

 _"Wha- I always do my job perfectly!"_ The teen exclaimed with a childish stomp of his heel. 

 _"Be quiet!"_ Baby5 snapped at his behavior.

 _"You know it’s early in the morning, everyone's asleep."_ She added in a softer tone, rolling the unlit cigarette in-between her lips. 

Since it was hopeless to get back to sleeping, Baby5 went back to her room to change her outfit. she had promised Dellinger to keep him company until his shift ended at sunrise, which was nearing anyway.

Only sometime later- the sun was up at this point and the hustle of the servants could be heard in the hallways- that the patient was rising up and gaining her consciousness again. The first thing she was met with was Dellinger’s blue eyes staring her down like a curious kid would to something intriguing. He blinked a couple of times as if making sure the patient was really awake this time, before he turned his head to call Baby5 over. The female heard him usher someone with a ‘come look’ as if they were sightseeing or something, she glared at the blonde locks that engulfed most of her vision. When the teen turned to the dark haired female again, he pointed a finger at her.

 _“Took you so long.”_ He mumbled.

Before she could process what he had said, the blonde was pushed to the side by a blue haired female. The blue haired seemed older than herself, she also seemed close to the blonde- judging by how despite pushing the boy roughly, she still had her hands on his shoulders. The strange female stared at her for a second before she blurted out.

_“How are you feeling?”_

It made the dark haired female narrow her eyes ever so slightly, but she remained quiet and unresponsive. An obnoxious shriek came from the blonde.

_“Kyya! Baby5.. She's glaring at you!"_

It seemed it went over his companion’s head, because she just shot another equally stupid question.

_“Do you know where you are?"_

The dark haired female was starting to get annoyed, they seemed like a formidable duo, one was persistent and the other was loud, both irritating and childish as well, they complemented each other greatly. Were they with that pink freak? They had to be, judging by the interior of the infirmary, she was still in the palace. The blue haired, what was her name?... Baby5… what kind of name was that anyway? She was still staring at her, obviously waiting for an answer.

Baby5 expected The patient to just ignore her again, but to her surprise, she didn’t.

 _"Why don't you tell me."_ She dryly retorted, causing Dellinger to snort in the background.

Even though it was rude and uncalled for, Baby5 guessed the other already had enough on her plate, so she answered calmly. 

_"You are in the royal palace, specifically in the infirmary. "_

After a long, tiring and one sided conversation with the patient, Baby5 was finally able to confirm her state. She also didn’t forget to give Dellinger a long lecture, accompanied by a firm pinch to his cheek (which caused the blonde to almost rip her whole wrist off with his sharp teeth). The blue haired maid made her way to her young master to inform him of the new update, he ended up assigning her full responsibility over making sure the patient was leading to full recovery and wasn't trying anything _funny_. 

It has been four days so far, yet Baby5 was frustrated with her situation. First off, the patient was refusing to listen to anyone and while that was understandable, she refused to eat too, which led Baby5 to force food down her throat, literally. Though she only did it once (even then, it wasn't much that she managed to make the other swallow) it wasn't something she wanted to do again. Second was that she had just gotten news of a particular shop catching fire and if she didn't know any better, she would say it was her young master trying to scare (or kill) her new, two-weeks boyfriend. This was turning out to be a bad week. 

She sighed, clutching the soft material in her hand tighter and opened the door without knocking.

The dark haired female was on her back, thin sheets pulled all the way to her chin and her eyes were closed. Her face scrunched in distaste when the awfully familiar clicking of heels kept approaching her. 

 _"I know you are awake."_   It came from the foot of her bed and after a moment, accompanied by a deep sigh, she opened her eyes to look at the other rather rudely. 

 _"You haven't touched your food."_ Again, it was as if she was just confirming to herself.

Baby5 mulled over whether to force her to eat or just ignore it, but on second thoughts, she just decided to leave her be this time. She sighed, somewhat feeling defeated and fixed her gaze on the younger female.

 _“… here.”_ She hesitantly offered what she had been holding behind her back.

The other shifted her eyes and stared at the dark grey and black material in the other’s hand, when she assessed it further she realized what it was and she had to contemplate whether it was a charity or some kind of unfunny joke. Her glare snapped to the blue haired maid in front of her, as if asking for an explanation.  

 _“It’s just a simple outfit, yours is beyond repair.”_ Baby5 didn’t need to say anything, if she didn’t want it, she didn’t have to take it. But for some reason, it was her that went out of her way to buy it, thinking it was okay to.

 _“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, but…”_ She pointed at the pale green infirmary gown _“…I doubt you’d want to stay in that forever.”_

After a few silent minutes the patient turned her head to other side with a deep scowl on her face, Baby5’s lips tugged upwards in a small smile and she placed the items of clothes on top of the nightstand.

 

It took two full weeks for the dark haired female to even be able to stand up and somewhat move, though she was way beyond recovered. Spending two weeks in the infirmary, alone and wide awake most of the time was a torture to her already fucked up mentality. she couldn’t remember when was the last time she felt resentment towards her own actions, she was usually the type to not regret as much as possible. But this time, she messed up really bad, and she very much knew it.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings briefly, before they returned to observe the blue curls that bounced off the executive’s back with each step, it was an odd color, the other thought. They both stopped in front of a wooden door, where the pirate female took courtesy in knocking and announcing her name, mere seconds passed before a firm ‘come in’ was heard.

Baby5 opened the door and gestured for the other female to go in first, which caused the younger of them to frown but comply anyway -what she didn’t know was that Doflamingo only asked Baby5 to show her to his office- Baby5 closed the door after she caught her young master’s acknowledging nod to her.

It only took the female so much not to shudder on the spot when the other’s smirking face turned fully towards her… _why was she here of all places?_

Slow, painfully long minutes dragged where the damn Shichibukai just remained in his chair, with his hands intertwined under his chin, and his hidden eyes observing her intently. It was a miracle she hadn’t reacted yet, her breathing was barely under control and so was her heart. But she was slightly surprised with herself for not already advancing just yet, though when she thought about attacking him did she realize that she didn’t stand a chance, never did and never will.

The Shichibukai pushed himself off the desk and leaned to rest his back comfortably in his chair, he couldn’t help but smirk in amusement when the other reached into where her knife once was, only to frown in return.

 _“I do think it would be rather stupid to let you keep that rusty knife of yours, little bird.”_ His tone was that of absolute mockery and he smiled in satisfaction when his bird narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips in silence.

To annoy her further, Doflamingo leaned into his palm once again to observe his mean-looking bird for a moment.

 _“How about you join my family?”_ It wasn’t what the other was expecting, judging by how her eyes widened momentarily before they narrowed suspiciously at him.

She knew not to give him the satisfaction of blowing out no matter what, and that was why she barely spoke during the whole ordeal. He was only stalling and they both knew it.

When he demanded to see her wings -which she already knew he would eventually request- she agreed, though not after bickering and arguing just to spite him. Among all the overthinking and plotting for the past days, she had time to think of ways to get herself out and away from the island. It wasn’t her best plan, but it was her only option. After all, she could only hide her wings for so long before it was unbearable to do so.

The female had to wait for another two days to ask to take a round with her wings, which she grimaced even thinking about how civilized she had to act- he even made her beg for it- but as a way to coax the damn Shichibukai into believing that she accepted her defeat, she begged.. _more than once_. It worked somehow, though she was a little surprised that not only did the Shichibukai agree, but he actually _encouraged_ it. She would have to be cautious with her actions from now on, but for now she had to relieve her backache by doing a couple of laps around.

_“Are you ready?”_

The female glanced at the bulky executive and nodded in response. The damn Shichibukai assigned him to watch her, so she ’wouldn’t have any ideas’ as he put into words. After stretching for a minute, she took a few deep breaths and started sprinting towards the edge of the plateau. The executive, which she was informed named Buffalo, was hot on her heels as they both battled against the wind.

The cunning king was by the pool side, sprawled on his usual couch, with two women clinging to him. He took a sip of his drink and tipped his head upwards, he had to squint his eyes to block the sun out and observe his little bird in action. She wasn’t that far and he could faintly make out her expression, it was one full of peace, she wasn’t smiling, but it wasn’t necessary. His predatory gaze never left her form, her face, he noticed how she would close her eyes occasionally as she twirled around and sped up.

Her mind was in shambles, she wasn’t exactly sure about it, but she would definitely regret not trying at least. Was it worth it though? It was too tempting to just not try, if she were to cross the line they drew for her, would they shoot her down for it? Would _he_ hunt her down like a prey? It was his only condition… to not stray from the palace. But she would be damned if she chose to obey without fighting back. She dismissed her hesitation and moved her wings faster, a quick glance besides her confirmed that the executive was a few meters behind. In a split second she took a sharp turn and dipped down to gain speed as she tried to gather as much strength into her upper body to fly faster, she ignored the shouts of the bulky pirate and continued without turning around.

She wasn’t that far away from the palace, yet she stopped. Not willingly. Her eyes were wide, pupils shrunken and her hands clawed over her heart desperately. Her whole body froze mid-air, paralyzed. She tried to continue nonetheless, her wings twitched but didn’t budge. A cough fit hit her and she felt blood instantly fill her mouth. What the fuck happened?

The female, in a state of shock, started falling down with one hand clutching over her heart and wide eyes glued to the concrete ground that was getting closer by the second. She wasn’t that high off the ground, but she was falling too fast, it was futile to even try and regain her balance back, she lacked time and distance. Was this how she was going to die? It was an awful way to clock out, the female thought helplessly. The ground beneath her stopped getting closer and it took her a moment to realize she was hanging upside down, she tilted her head slightly to get a better look and her eyes locked with Buffalo’s, his hand was tightly wrapped around her left ankle securely despite the glare he sent her _. Fuck, that was too close._ The female released a breath she’s been holding and relaxed her arms as she hung limply. she closed her eyes and tried to control her frantic, adrenaline- infused heart.

As soon as Buffalo landed back with the female on his back, Doflamingo was already waiting for them with a smile on his face, though it fooled no one. He had a dark aura around him, a vein on his forehead, and he was silent. He stretched his hand towards his little bird and she got the message as she walked past him and into the palace, leading the way with shaky legs that she blamed on her adrenaline.

Doflamingo escorted his little bird to his room for her punishment, his mind already set on one.

 _“That was awfully fast to try and run, little bird... Here I thought I was a good host.”_ He heard a snarl, causing him to smile in satisfaction.

He towered over his little bird as she stood before him, she had a cautious look on her eyes.

 _“Take your top off.”_ His hard voice demanded.

Doflamingo noticed how she tensed, unwillingly. Her eyes screamed panic, but she covering it. It would have fooled anyone with how well she held her poker face, but not him.

 _“What do you plan to do to clueless and poor me, I wonder?”_ She kept her tone and expression neutral despite feeling nausea and revulsion creeping from the pits of her stomach. 

A smirk broke on the Shichibukai’s face… _Oh, how he wanted to bruise and assault that smart mouth._

 _“Don’t make me repeat myself, little one.”_ He lowly warned.

The female was hesitant for a moment, but she eventually did as told. _It doesn’t matter if I do as he says or not, he would force her anyway_. Good thing the bandages underneath covered her chest too, it made the whole thing easier at least. She bit her lip and removed her newly obtained shirt off, hissing when her wounds stung. What was he planning?

Doflamingo waited patiently for his little bird, he noticed how underneath she was heavily bandaged. He didn’t miss the slight trembling, it excited him, the thought of hearing her screams. As soon as she dropped the simple cloth, the first blow of his strings, powerful and fast lashed at her back without a warning.

The scream that followed echoed through the walls and went straight to the Shichibukai’s cock.

“ _This should get interesting.”_ He murmured to himself, smirk widening accordingly.

The female fell to the ground from the sheer power of the hit, gasping in both shock and agony. Is that what he was thinking? She felt dizzy and sick.  

 _“Stand up, little bird.”_ His voice reminded her of that night and she shivered unpleasantly.

He seemed impatient, because he didn’t spare her a second to scramble to her feet. She felt strings wrap around her wrists and she was pulled to her feet, both shoulders protested at the angle her arms were hanging. The second hit was even stronger than the first, the female’s eyes were blown wide in raw and pure pain. _I…I can’t … fuck fuck fuck._ She chewed on her lower lip, trying to distract her mind with something else. She had high pain tolerance, but she wasn’t sure it would help in the slightest bit. His blows were fast, heavy and fucking powerful.

The Shichibukai licked his lips at the sight of his bird, now full on shaking and her once clean bandages soaking in blood. Her voice long quieted, which was too bad for him. He wanted to hear more of her screams, but he had to make sure he didn’t over-do it since she was still recovering. He didn’t even get to ten due to her weakened state, but the gashes his string whip inflicted were deep enough to leave permanent scars. He released his strings and she slumped to the ground with a thud, the blonde turned around and left the room.

The female was conscious somehow, but in a hazy state due to her new wounds. It took her at least ten minutes to get ahold of herself and move from her spot, she stubbornly reached for her shirt and put it on as if nothing happened. There was no way in hell she would go get it treated, aside from whatever they did to her when she was passed out, she refused the pain killers they gave her. _Why would they even bother heal her if they were going to ruin it anyway?_ Sick bastards. These wounds, alongside the older ones, would serve as a reminder of her failure and stupidity for what she did that damned night. Medicine would help heal them and dull the pain, that was true, but _who said that was what she wanted?_ She deserved feeling every ounce of it, it fed her desire to get out of here faster.

The female sighed and half-dragged herself towards the coffee table. A nap wouldn’t help, but it would distract her surely, because right now she wanted nothing more than to scratch the wounds and claw at them. It seemed that even the older ones were mocking her, her whole back felt like it was on fire. She folded her arms to prop her head, but partially to busy them from reaching to her back -the action caused her muscles to flex and stretch the already opened gashes and she hissed in frustration.

She closed her eyes and her thoughts went over what happened earlier, it was weird. She was flying perfectly fine, but the moment she thought about going further and attempt to escape, a strange pain immobilized her. As if someone was reading her mind, it unnerved her. It couldn’t be a coincidence; her wings were working just alright; she would have known if it was her own body playing tricks on her.

The female remembered how she lost control and had no choice but to succumb to gravity. Helplessness had taken ahold of her and while her mind was trying to comprehend what had happened, she reached upwards in a poor attempt to grasp anything to stop her. If it wasn’t for Buffalo, she would have died in that petty way. A small voice told her it would have been better if she did, but she toned it out as soon as it did. She can’t die here, at least not without trying to find a way out. she would try as long as she breathed, no matter what… she will get out of here.

She heard a trail of voices, but she tried to ignore them. Maybe she should rest for a while before she got a headache from overthinking, the female thought.

The door opened and voices instantly filled the once silent room, but the female only recognized one of them. _Is he talking to someone?_

Her eyes were still closed but she picked up a female’s laugh, it sounded loud and squeaky, it was fucking annoying. She opened her eyes and tilted her head backwards for a better angle. The source of the laughter was indeed a female, standing tall and almost naked with the way the little item of clothing was barely covering anything. But she wasn’t alone, the flamingo bastard was with her, his hand playing with her long, light hair as she continued babbling about something.

When the reality of the situation settled in, the brunette frowned …. _Really? Weren’t they at least going to kick her out first?_ With a frustrated sigh, she forced herself on wobbly legs that barely carried her weight. As soon as she stood up, dots clouded her vision and she swayed heavily, but managed to grab the couch besides her to steady herself. The female clenched her teeth to the point her jaw ached and tried to ignore her shaky legs in favor of getting to the door.

Doflamingo noticed his little bird and he suppressed a laugh, she was practically bolting towards the door. The Shichibukai smirked when a sudden idea hit him and he wasted no time in addressing it out loud –mainly to his bird.

_“We don’t mind an audience, little bird.”_

His smirk widened when he noticed her grasp tightening around the door knob and how tense her posture got, showing how uncomfortable she felt. Though his expression faltered when the sight of blood greeted him, it was soaking through her shirt. The tiny splotches that merged with each other indicated that the wounds were still unattended to, which didn’t sit well with him. His face twisted in irritation when he picked up how bad her condition was, her knees were slightly bent and her whole body seemed to take advantage of her position as she leaned against the door for support. Once again, he went overboard, he thought.

The Shichibukai’s scowl deepened when his escort placed a well-manicured hand on his thigh and caressed it seductively.

 _“I can teach you a few things, honey.”_ She turned her head to give the blonde a sultry smile.

The click of the door as it closed made Doflamingo snap his gaze to the once occupied space and his bird nowhere in sight.

She nearly collapsed right outside of the room, but her pride and stubbornness were too strong for that. She used the walls that stretched along the hallways as a leverage to support a significant amount of her weight while she attempted to find somewhere to rest, undisturbed. She thought of the room where she first woke up in- the infirmary, but her memory at that time was foggy and it was useless to try and search for it. The palace was too big to look into every door she came across, which were too many for her to count, and all the hallways looked the exact same. Thus, why she kept walking around aimlessly. She did occasionally stop to catch her breath or rest her legs. 

It was some time later that she was completely lost, extremely spent, and with no place to crash in yet. It wasn’t helping that her wounds were still bleeding and her desire to itch them grew furiously, the lack of food and sleep made her curse herself for refusing what that blue haired pirate offered her earlier- “I brought lunch.” She had said, carrying a tray. But being prideful -and partially idiotic, she only threw her a side glance and ignored her. Now she would appreciate a good meal, anything that gave her energy (to heal faster) so she could break free from this prison. Her legs felt like jelly, she doubted they would last long. It seemed that her thoughts jinxed her, because the very next second her vision started to blur and her dizziness got to her. She fell down on her knees, panting weakly and she felt her chest and wounds ache terribly. She tried to stand back up again, but her body was uncooperative and she fell unconscious.

Bellamy frowned in confusion when he heard a thump outside of his room. He removed his forearm away from his scarred face and sat straighter on his bed trying to strain his ears for any other sound, but it was quiet. The blonde contemplated whether it was his imagination or if it was something even worth checking, eventually he got up. He crossed the small room in two long strides and reached for the door. As soon as he opened it, he was met with a mob of unruly hair at the tip of his heavy boots. The blonde squinted as his eyes darted across the small, unmoving body to try and identify it. It was by her distinctive clothes and bandages that he deduced who it was. Though he didn’t personally know her, he had seen her earlier accompanied by two of the family’s henchman. She was supposedly Doflamingo’s, that’s all he knew.

He scanned her petite form again, this time looking for any indication that she was alive, he wasn’t looking for any trouble with the Shichibukai. The blonde huffed in relief when he picked the faint rising of her back, though he wasn’t to be blamed for thinking she was dead, the amount of blood that was seeping through the thin fabric on her back was not good, specially for a small human like her.

Images of a young, brunette captain, bloody and beaten, yet still smiling brightly flashed in the blonde’s head. He clicked his tongue in slight annoyance… _Why was he remembering him now?_ He pursed his lips and glared at the body on the floor. He lifted his left foot and nudged the passed out female’s side lightly until he heard her groan and only when she started shifting, did he retract his boot

Bellamy stood silently while the female got up, wincing and hissing on the process. He heard her mumble about a ‘much needed rest’ and ‘a splitting headache’ but he said nothing, because she was apparently talking to the wall. When she finally noticed him, she took a few steps back to look up at his face. The bulky pirate crossed his muscular arms and raised an eyebrow at her odd and intense look, she was intently mapping him out, as if she was memorizing his face. It didn’t bother Bellamy, not because it wasn’t necessary rude -he wouldn’t care about it if it was, he was a pirate after all- but it was calculated and cautious. When she was done, her eyes narrowed and she snapped at him.

_“Why would you wake me up?”_

Bellamy stared in disbelief at the strange brunette, desperately wanting to ask if she even knew where she was ‘sleeping’, but he held his poker face and coldly clapped back.

 _“You were in front of my room.”_ He turned around and waved his hand dismissively _“Go die somewhere else.”_

With that, the door was slammed to the brunette’s face with force that ruffled her curls. The female rolled her eyes, she attempted to pat down her frizzy locks while she resumed walking to find a place before she passed out again.

 

The maid opened the double doors of the dining hall to prepare it but she stopped mid-way, eyes wide and voice seemingly stuck in her throat. She abandoned her spot and rushed to get someone to assess the problem.

When she came back, she was with two of her co-workers. She went to open the curtains to let the sun in, but the scene that unfolded before them caused the trio to gasp, horrified. A couple of inches away, someone was occupying one of the seats, they were hunched over the wooden table with their arms supporting their head. It would have been a normal sight, if it weren’t for the disturbing red that painted the walls and table cloth, the bloody hand streaks stopped where the person was, their clothes just as equally red.

The two maids nodded to each other and sneaked behind their fellow servant, slowly starting to push him towards the mysterious person. The male’s eyes widened in realization and he turned around, flustered.

 _“W-wait, what if it’s a dead body?”_ He panicked even thinking about the possibility.

 _“Exactly! You check.”_ One of his co-workers reasoned, trying to sound convincing as she kept pushing him forward.

The male bit his lip in sheer nervousness, he was only two chairs away and he grimaced when the strong smell of iron hit him. As a last resort, he tried to plead the two maids, his eyes locked with one of them, but she just mouthed ‘go’ causing him to frown in annoyance.

The male took careful steps, he gulped and reached his hand to shake the person’s arm… but he was interrupted.

 _“Pica-sama is hungry! What are you wasting time fo_ r!?” Baby5’s voice was slightly muffled by the cigarette she was chewing on.

When she approached the dining hall, she paused for a moment to scan her surroundings and assist the situation. The two maids were looking at her guiltily and the male servant on the other hand was looking down-right terrified. The blue-haired pirate noticed the familiar mob of dark hair too, she furrowed her brows as she stalked her way to the table. When she was close to the slumped body, her eyes darted curiously across the bloody streaks on the table, it was on her hands and arms, hell some of it was underneath her fingernails too.

When her gaze landed on the other’s back, she sighed, resigned, and proceeded to the troublesome female. She hoisted her up on her shoulder and steadied her firmly by her waist – since Baby5 was taller and had a very well trained body, it wasn’t a problem for her. The blue haired pirate glanced sideways at the workers who were whispering among themselves.

_“Dinner is served in ten minutes, clean up.”_

Baby5 made her way to the infirmary, she ignored the curious glances from the staff and readjusted her hold. As soon as she arrived, she carefully laid the brunette on her stomach on one of the beds. she knew it would be useless to wait for the doctor, he might be having dinner, or be on duty outside of the palace grounds. The blue-haired female rummaged through the cabinets and gathered what she needed, she wasn’t a doctor by any means, but she knew enough from her experiences.

With a scissor in hand, she went to cut the shirt and the old, blood soaked gauze underneath and proceeded to disinfect and clean the wounds. When she observed the brunette’s back, her eyes stilled suddenly, she was partially intrigued but mostly awed. The younger’s back was a mess of scars, wounds, and angry looking veins ranging from purple to pale green. It was a weird sight, as if her skin was transparent. The blue-haired female couldn’t help but reach her hand and gingerly trace a few ridges… probably old scars, she thought. Her hand stopped on the other’s lower back, where two vertical lines were. They were rough in texture and the web of veins intensified, covering almost the whole area. Is this where she sprouts her wings?

She felt stirring and the muscle underneath her fingertips twitched, she snapped out of her thoughts and resumed covering the wounds with a fresh layer of gauze.

Although it wasn’t her direct responsibility, she didn’t mind it. Knowing that her young master would praise her, only made her more willing. When she finished, she covered the brunette with a thin sheet and cleaned the mess after her. With a huff, Baby5 glanced at the sleeping female and closed the door behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feedback is appreciated.


	11. Chapter nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks and new entrances. 
> 
> Just a heads-up: Sam is 17 and Luca is 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome again.
> 
> *Trigger warning*  
> This chapter contains violence,blood, child abuse and rape.

_Seven years ago, On an island in one of the blues._

As dusk fell, orange and pink hues painted the sky beautifully, creating a lovely glow that stretched along the horizon. It was getting rather chilly; the sea was rumbling with forthcoming huge waves as a gentle breeze carried out the calming scent of salt.

The locals were slowly but surely dispersing -everyone was eager to get back to the warmth of their home- but an eleven-year-old girl. She was tucked in one of the many abandoned alleyways, sitting on dirt, her back against a wall, and her knees tucked under her chin. Her hands gripped the tattered cloak tighter around her when a gust of wind hurled past her, blowing dust on its way, but the female’s eyes stared passively at the line of ants walking on the ground in neat lines.

Two teenagers rounded a corner and entered the alleyway, they were mid-conversation when one of them tripped over the young girl, though the young lad managed to balance himself quickly. He turned around -immediately spotting the cause of it, the teen nudged the curled up street kid with his foot and darkly spat.

 _“Apologize, brat.”_ When the latter made no move or sound, he narrowed his eyes and repeated in a menacing tone.

_“I said apologize.”_

The kid just remained silent, face obscured from his view. The other teen nervously spoke up. _”Sam, let’s just go.”_

But Sam had other plans, when he was ignored for a second time, he cracked his fingers and approached the younger. He picked the brat up by the clothes and effortlessly lifted the kid off the ground -being older and bigger, it was easy. Sam raised the kid to his face, his movements caused the hood to slip off, revealing a mess of dark hair and fierce eyes.

The girl was glaring at him but chose to stay still. The tanned teen observed her face for a while, his grip not relaxing in the slightest bit.

 _“What a dirty looking brat.”_ He commented, his fist colliding with her jaw in a punch.

She fell to the ground, feeling the whole left side of her face on fire, she spat a mouthful of blood and ran her tongue over her teeth to inspect the damage.

Sam’s friend, Luca, stared at the scene in horror.

 _“Sam, stop this!”_ Luca tried to pull his friend by his forearm, only for Sam to give him a warning look before he proceeded to pick the kid up once again.

 He slammed the brat into a wall, his hand fisting the younger’s pale neck as he delivered a few good punches on the brat’s stomach and sides.

As soon as he released her, the girl slumped to the ground and her body started to quiver from weakness and pain. 

 _“See, what happens when you don’t apologize?”_ Sam jeered at the brat, wiping blood off his knuckles.

He took slow steps towards her and lowly demanded _. “Now... apologize.”_  

The young girl would have spat the two words just to get rid of the ignorant teen -it was clear he wouldn’t admit the reason he tripped was lack of attention- but she was far too occupied with coughing blood out of her stomach to do so.

Sam pinned the female on the ground by straddling her -making sure to apply extra pressure over her legs so she wouldn't kick, and caged both of her frail arms with a firm grip. The teen examined her bloody nose and dirt covered face for a moment before lifting his head to bark an order at his panic-stricken friend.

_”Luca! Come here.”_

The latter was holding his head in his is hands, mumbling to himself. But when he heard his name, he snapped his head towards Sam, a distressed expression gracing his features. It took Luca a moment before he took small steps towards the other. When he was close enough, his friend beckoned him to kneel down as well. 

 _“Here, hold this brat down.”_ Sam gave him a hard nod to encourage him, removing his hands once his scaredy friend reached his own trembling ones to do as requested. 

Sam shifted his weight and slid down the trapped body underneath him until he was at eye level with the brat’s narrow waist, he reached to caress the two bones protruding from each side under the waistband of the worn out pants -feeling small prickles of goosebumps hit him when soft skin met his fingertips. His hands trailed upwards, pushing the equally tattered shirt along the way to reveal a flat stomach and bony sides.

 _“Sam... “_ The tanned teen lifted his face, his hazel eyes flickered to his friend’s pale face.

 _“What?”_ He squeezed through the lump in his throat and tried to ignore the erratic breathing beneath him.

His friend regarded him with a concerned look and a pleading tone. _“We should leave, it’s getting late.”_

Sam’s gaze hardened and he snapped, feeling impatient.

 _“Shut up, Luca.”_ The younger cowered slightly and averted his gaze to the side.

When he was sure Luca wouldn't annoy him further, Sam resumed what he was doing. He slowly started to tug the dirty pants down, feeling minimum resistance. His eyes widened momentarily and he chuckled lowly.

 _“You are a girl, huh?”_ his eyes lit up and he looked up to the girl's face. It wasn't that big of a surprise, but he thought with how bratty and tough she was acting she would surely be a boy.

 _“That makes it more fun.”_ The girl was glaring at him, but it went unnoticed in the darkness. 

The once magical sky was now a harsh black that stretched out above her, its hundreds of stars twinkling beneath the wavering light, as if to further humiliate her. Her gaze lingered on the dark spots between each star, finding it much more appealing than the irritating glowing particles. Her body was aching terribly, several tiny rocks kept repeatedly grazing her back and nausea took over her.

Being trapped beneath two much dominant bodies wasn’t a first, and willing herself to relax and comply was a way of survival. Though she didn’t cease her struggle and in a window of opportunity, she managed to free one of her legs from her offender’s grip and kick him on his side, the tanned teen hissed and slapped her roughly.

 _“That hurt, you filth!”_ He growled.

Her head swiveled around from the sheer force of the slap, and she stared blankly at the concrete wall ahead, willing her mind into a familiar, disconnected state.

The female felt drops on her cheek, it took her a while to even notice it at first. Was it raining, she thought. She turned her head forward, puzzled, yet her expression remained impassive. But soon her glassy eyes widened and the lump in her throat felt more prominent. Locked with her dark eyes were a pair of light blue ones, blurry and brimmed with tears. They bored into her with such intense emotions, it was suffocating.

 _“… I'm sorry.”_ Luca whispered over and over to the girl in a voice low enough for her to hear, the fact that a young girl was subjected to their horrible deed made his stomach twist in sickness. 

When Sam eventually stopped, he released her legs from a bruising grip and slumped on top of her, burying his face in her damp neck. He laughed in a twisted manner and harshly whispered by her ear.

 _“You worthless trash.”_ With that, he got up to tidy himself.

_“Let’s go, Luca.”_

 The blonde waited for Sam to turn his back to pick up her cloak and cover her gently before he followed his friend.

The female was still sprawled on the floor, blood already drying on her skin and tears barely holding themselves back, tiredness washed over her and she barely managed to lift her pants back up before she passed out. 

The next day rolled around, the sun was close to sitting, but the female was still laying inert on her side, tired and in pain. As soon as she sensed a presence nearing, she forced herself on unsteady legs, letting out a low hiss at the pain and discomfort. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her scowl darkened when she recognized who it was. The familiar blonde stood a good distance away, posture stiff and face twisted in guilt.

 _“You s-shouldn't be here; h-he is coming back tonight.”_ His tone was quivering despite the concern evident in it, but the girl just snarled in response.

Luca reached to his back pocket and retrieved a pocket knife, he noticed the girl tense and raised both hands in the air-one of them clutching the weapon.

 _“It's mine, but you can have it.”_ He tossed the knife in front of her, the sight of blood on her clothes was too vivid that he had to look away.

The girl glared at it for a second before her attention was brought back to the teen in front of her.

 _“I'm truly sorry.”_ He sounded like he wanted to say more, but with one last glance, he turned around and left. 

 

The female opened her eyes, eyebrows drawing together in a confused frown when she further scanned her surroundings. She stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to come to her senses properly before slowly setting up. It was that bastard’s room, the female realized.

 _“Terrific.”_ She sighed, leaning against the headboard.

The idea that she was here of all places irritated her to no end, the brunette tore the sheets off her and stormed to the door. She was surprised it wasn’t locked, why she thought it would be otherwise, was an odd assumption, because they were more than capable of handling her roaming around.

The dark haired female was aimlessly walking around, not at all familiar with the palace still.  It was a little while later did the female realize that something was uncomfortably digging into her skin whenever she turned her head around, she raised a hand to smooth over the area, only to feel a cool band around her neck. The female frowned and traced it for a second time before she confirmed that something was there. Feeling panic rise within her, the brunette rushed towards a mirror she recalled passing during previous times to inspect it further.

It was indeed a collar, said collar was delicate in appearance, made of pure gold and the initials D.D were carved right in the middle.  

She attempted to tug and pull at it, frantically letting out a few curse words in the process. Her attempts were futile and she had to give up pretty quickly, and instead think her way out of it. And so, she decided to seek Doflamigno out and maybe try to get some information out of him.

The Shichibukai was walking towards a private meeting room, where he and the top executives were going to discuss a few issues concerning his trading business. The blonde slowed his pace when he spotted his little bird approaching him with a well refined scowl, he gave her a smile and innocently asked.

 _“What do you think of my present?”_ His gaze scanned her furious expression.

 _“I think you have an awful taste.”_ She didn’t even bother hide her anger as she scornfully retorted.

 _“Fufufu! That’s harsh, little bird.”_ Doflamingo was definitely having fun.

 _“What exactly is this?”_ She tugged at her collar in annoyance. 

_“This is costume made, I suggest you not keep tugging it like that.”_

The female narrowed her eyes at him. _“What do you mean?”_

 _“You only need to know that if you try to remove it, you’d be dead within five minutes.”_ Doflamingo vaguely explained.

The female stared hard at the blonde, feeling speechless. Doflamingo took the opportunity to clasp her shoulder, leading the way to his destination.  

The blonde opened a door and pushed his little bird inside, where she stumbled in front of the seated executives. She frowned, not at all liking the treatment.

 _“What’s this, Doffy?”_ Diamanté questioned.

 _“A new addition.”_ Doflamingo replied.

 _“Beheh… Are you sure? She looks like she could be easily damaged.”_ Trebol crudely remarked.

The third top executive, Pica, remained silent -whether he had anything to say or not- though his eyes kept fiercely observing the female.

 _“Fufu! she's still on trial.”_ The blonde sounded pleased.

 During their meeting, the four men discussed mostly the matters of Dressrosa and some other topics that weren’t exciting, nor of importance to the female. Despite that, she listened closely, and chose to observe the three odd executives. She wasn’t sure why the Shichibukai even forced her to tag along in the first place.  

There was something happening outside, that was clear. The four pirates, along with the female were well aware of it, though the reason for the commotion was unknown.

There were a couple of sharp knocks at the door and it opened, revealing one of Doflamingo’s henchmen.

 _“Sir! There’s an intruder in the palace!”_ He frantically reported.

 _“And you haven’t managed to catch the pest, why?”_ The blonde commented, his tone less than impressed.

The Shichibukai’s underling gulped and stuttered out. _“W-we are working on it, s-sir.”_

 _“Beheh! you guys are useless.”_ Trebol as always sounded amused.

 _“It’s not like it hasn't happened before.”_ Diamanté noted.

_“But this time, the intruder supposedly wants to meet the king.”_

That seemed to catch everyone’s attention, Doflamingo stretched his arms on the back of the couch and gave an unsettling smirk.

_“I’m intrigued… Once you capture him, bring him here.”_

_“Yes, sir!”_

Almost ten minutes later, there was a sudden knock at the door, the noise seemingly quieted down. Two guards entered, dragging behind a young man. The pirates apologized immensely to Doflamigno about their misconduct and improper way of handling it, but the latter was more interested in the citizen's demand of wanting to _see_ him.

As soon as the female zeroed in on the intruder, her eyes widened momentarily. This day couldn’t get any better, she pursed her lips.

Finny, on the other end, couldn’t believe he would actually find her, who could have thought the king’s minions weren’t spouting nonsense. He had eavesdropped on their conversation at the bar and picked up that they had a fairly new member, but what prompted his curiosity was the fact that it was _a bird woman_. Finny had his doubts because she never turned up at the bar like she had promised, and he knew something was off. His steely blue eyes intensely scanned the female -lingering on her bandages for a bit before he finally met her gaze, her expression was unreadable apart for the certain displeasure in her eyes.

 _“Hmm? Ne ne.. is this the intruder?”_ Trebol questioned.

 _“Yes, sir. We caught him on the second floor_.”   

 _“YOU!!”_ Came a surprised and somewhat relieved exclaim from Finny once he gathered himself.

The female frowned when various looks turned to her, she had to act quickly, otherwise that idiot would get himself in too many troubles.

 _“Do you know him, birdie?”_ Doflamingo knitted his brows, expectantly looking at her.

The female crossed her arms and gave the intruder in question a neutral look.

 _“I believe I owe his bar some money.”_ Her tone was devoid of any sentiment.

Finny was frozen in his spot, how many weeks had it been since he last saw her? Was she this ruthless back then?

 _“Fufufu I see, what a troublesome young lady.”_ Doflamingo dismissed his underlings with an order to pay the man’s money and escort him out.

The female’s gaze followed Finny, until he was out of sight -completely oblivious to Diamante’s suspicious look.

 

The double doors opened with a creak and in walked the obnoxious king. The female mentally rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t move from her spot. She was in one of the many lounges where a very fancy set of couches were arranged, a coffee table in the middle, and a medium sized library filled with thick and bulky books that varied from science, to fiction, to thrillers and more.

The female was currently occupying a single seat, an old mystery novel on her lap, and a cup of coffee in hand-already half empty.

The Shichibukai passed her and went further in the room, mere moments passed and the clicking and clattering of glass made it clear that he was by the bar, preparing a drink. The female willed herself to relax and tone him completely out, her eyes picked up from where she left off in attempt to busy herself.

The female was already uncomfortable, and the looming shadow that swallowed her vision only made things worse.  

The Shichibukai was standing right behind her, his eyes scanned a few lines over her shoulder as a smirk appeared on his face when his little bird shifted in her place, seeming uneasy.

 _“You know, it’s pretty rare for citizens to personally seek me out.”_ His tone was inclusive, even slightly oblivious. 

The female remained silent, knowing that he was testing her, he was most definitely observing her smallest movements.

 _“I can’t say it’s a first, but it hasn’t happened in a long time.”_ The Shichibukai added.

_“Is there something you are not telling me?”_

_“Is there something you want to hear?”_ The female broke her silence.

 _“Fufufu! I suppose I should rephrase… Are you sure you don’t know that guy?”_ Doflamingo questioned.

_“I thought I told you already, he’s just a random bartender that’s too naïve.”_

Doflamingo recalled Diamante’s words.

_“Diamanté seems to think otherwise; he thinks that punk caught you off guard.”_

_“I was more impressed really, I never expected him to actually find me.”_ The female replied calmly.

The blonde processed her words for a moment. _“Fufu! Rest assured… if I see him here again, it will be his burying ground.”_

 _"I'm sure you would love that."_ The brunette remarked.

In an instant, Doflamingo was holding her jaw in a not so gentle grip.

 _"Careful~"_ He warned playfully.

Her breathing faltered, but she remained soundless. The Shichibukai dropped his hand to wrap it around her neck loosely, he tightened his grip for a passing second- causing the collar to dig into her skin.

 _“Remember, don’t pick at it.”_ He muttered impassively.

Once the flamingo freak pulled away to straighten, the female felt as if a heavy weight has been lifted off her shoulders. The blonde stopped mid-way to the door, as if remembering something.

 _“Oh? By the way..."_ The female’s gaze flickered to his face. _"You'll find the end to be awfully predictable. “_

The female let out a frustrated sigh.

 _“Shit.”_ She muttered and slammed the book shut, no longer feeling like reading anymore.

 

Bellamy was walking down the hallway- deep in thought, his scarred face set in a permanent scowl. The blonde was about to round the corner when a loud crash caused him to still his movements and halt in his place. The unmistakable laugh of Trebol- along the aggressive coughing sound of another reached the blonde’s ears, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, straining his ears for any further sounds. 

 _“Behehe! You are as weak as a fly, why does Doffy keep something like you.. ne ne.. why is that?”_ Trebol snickered, his mucus flying everywhere.

The female held her bruised stomach and wiped a couple of slimy drops off her face, she glowered at the disgusting executive before her and retorted darkly.

_“And you think you’re more than a mere pawn to that fucking self-conceited bird?”_

The top executive’s laughter stopped and his expression dropped, turning into an angry and insulted one. He shot a whip of his mucus that engulfed her body, the female was raised in the air and mercilessly slammed into a nearby wall.

She fell to the ground, a fresh trail of blood seeping from her temple. But the executive wasn’t done yet, he approached the female who was propped up against a wall and used his cane to lift her head up, until her fierce eyes met his shaded ones.

_“Behe... You better watch your mouth or I will impale you next time.”_

The female deliberately spat blood in front of his feet and mumbled.

_“Until then, filthy pirate.”_

After Trebol left –thankfully deciding to ignore her answer, the female stretched her legs and tipped her head back. She released a deep sigh, trying to ignore her throbbing stomach. The adrenaline started to wear down, therefore her body ached more with each passing second. On top of that, her surroundings were becoming blurry, no doubt due to her head injury.

“How long do you plan on bleeding for?” A rough voice resonated through the empty space, the female cracked an eye open just in time the familiar blonde emerged from the end of the corridor.

 _“It’s you again.”_ She nonchalantly stated, wiping her bloody nose with the back of her hand.

 _“The name’s Bellamy.”_ The blonde came to a stop a few steps away, he crossed his muscular arms and looked at the peculiar female. When no answer met him, he felt the need to repeat his words.

 _“Are you always eager to cause trouble or is it just a coincidence that we met two times already under the same circumstances?”_ He couldn’t help but sound the tinniest bit scolding.

The brunette frowned in bewilderment. _“I think it’s more of that I revel in the fact I can still have my fun being trapped here.”_

Bellamy glared at her and loudly noted. _“You must have hit your head pretty hard.”_

The female snickered, touching her split temple, her head felt heavy and foggy. _“I can’t argue you on that.”_

When she made no move to get up, the blonde clicked his tongue and remarked, pointing a finger at her.

 _“You can’t sleep this off, you need a doctor.”_ Why was he this invested in helping her was beyond his comprehension.

The dark haired female held eye contact with him for roughly ten seconds, before she shifted to stand up. The blonde studied her condition, she was swaying heavily that he contemplated ditching her like the previous time, but he surprised himself when his hand reached to firmly hold and steady her. 

She gave him a confused look, but the blonde averted his eyes and grumbled under his breath as he led the way to the infirmary, all the while feeling flustered for some reason. He should get his head checked too, the blonde thought. 

 

It wasn’t a fair battle, to say the least, and unfortunately for the marines that was proven in the striking number of causalities. They had assumed it was one group pirates, with approximately 50 members, but it turned out to be a whole alliance between three groups that were nowhere near few- or weak for that matter, they were some of the ones responsible for a number of massacres and arson attacks all over the South Blue.

The marines were at disadvantage because they hadn’t gathered the right- or enough information, and so, having underestimated their strength, they were crushed and wiped out in less than thirty minutes. Few were the ones that managed to retreat from the battle ground still breathing, but in a state of shock and fear. Amongst them were those who were unable to snap out of a helpless trance, while others mourned over their dead friends, and those who kept chanting desperate cries that failed to reach the heavens.

Sadly enough, the ones who survived were no more than twenty, but as the sneers and howls of the pirates reached them, the marines knew they couldn’t hide for long- they had to get off the island immediately. 

The lieutenant was the one in command at the moment, the very first order he issued was for all the remaining marines to gather and prepare their ship to sail -which took longer than necessary due to lack of manpower and mental strength- he had managed to find a den-den mushi that wasn’t dead or had its receiver broken, he took a couple of cadets with him and they all hid behind a group of jagged rock to operate as the lookouts. He dialed an emergency number, it rang a few times and was soon connected to the nearest marine outpost.

 _“H-Hello!! Can you hear me?!”_ The lieutenant yelled over the crushing waves and many other noises.

 _“Yes… Announce your rank and name, please.”_ The officer on the other end of the line spoke indifferently.

 _“I’m a lieutenant, Lieutenant Grieg.”_ He hurriedly added _“Listen, there’s not much time left, we need backup.”_

It was quiet for a moment before the dispatch officer responded. _“That would take at least five to six hours excluding the preparations.”_

 _“But you have to send it, we can’t possibly fend off the enemy and help the civilians with our current number!!”_ Lt. Grieg felt slight rage boil inside him.

 _“I don’t think it’s my place to defy higher orders, lieutenant.”_ The officer responded, his tone aloof.

_“Then what are you saying?! For me to just turn my back and ignore a damn war!! Tell me officer!!”_

_“You should do just that, you know you can’t face them or change anything. Even if we send a ship or two, by the time they arrive it would be too late.”_

It seemed that finally the officer showed some sympathy, his voice softened _“… The only thing you can do is save as many civilians and get on your ship and escape.”_ With that, the connection was cut. 

The lieutenant stared at the sleeping snail for a few seconds, trying to weigh his options. He could either gather his remaining men and get back to the pirates, or save the locals and get them out of this mess. The latter was probably the most rightful and wise option, even though their ship was no battleship- it couldn’t possibly carry all of the civilians, but it was all they had. If he went with the first option, well, he knew how that would end. 

A decision was made not to further engage the enemy, but instead do what is best in outcome. The lieutenant yelled orders at his subordinates, assigning five to get the ship ready and took the others with him and headed towards the uproar caused by the townspeople.

The locals refused to let the pirates destroy their island and hometown so carelessly, they have lived under the pirates’ greed for two years, but it was inevitable that they would eventually have to free themselves from the pirates. The adults -men and women- gathered anything and everything that could be used as a weapon -some even had their own guns and rifles, all with the clear intent to put an end to the situation.

 The lieutenant was utterly baffled by the bravery and fierce will of the locals, he had argued them at first until one of the men pleaded him to just respect their dying wishes and help their children. They were adamant that even if they failed to obliterate the pirates, at least they would provide enough distraction for their children to make it out of the chaos.

Lt. Grieg could do or say nothing to convince them otherwise, with a heavy heart, he turned to his men and gave one clear and loud order, to save as many as they can and meet at the shore in less than half an hour.

The true and violent nature of the pirates unfolded, painting a very ugly and ruthless image of death. As the marines went from door to door, trying to coax the children out of their hiding places and into a safer area, they met the gory and repulsive sight of many corpses. Some were beyond recognition anymore, while others were _cleaner_ in a sick way of describing a slashed throat or a bullet wound. The smoke made it even harder to breathe, most houses were blazing, the fire would soon catch on to the forest on the northern part of the island- the situation couldn’t get any worse. 

At this point the lieutenant, along with the children, and most of his subordinates were waiting for the others at the designated meeting spot. Said children were crying, screaming, some tried to run back to look for their parents, while others were quietly sniffling. The marines had attempted to comfort them, but it was futile to try and calm them after they had witnessed such horrific things.

They were nearing the thirty-minute window of time they were given, and the lieutenant let out a sigh of pure relief when he spotted his men with the last survivors trailing behind, a few kids were too disoriented that they kept tripping and falling over pieces of wreckage.

One particular little girl was all the way behind the small group, she was being dragged by another brunette, she seemed to struggle as her little hand kept slipping from the other’s. The sight alone sent an unpleasant shudder through the Lieutenant’s body, one of the girls that was almost drenched in blood that clearly wasn’t her own, her gaze was distant and lifeless.

 _“Lieutenant!! We were able to clear out most of the houses, we had to get a couple of kids from under the ruins, but no one is seriously injured.”_ One of his men reported as soon as he spotted him.

 _“Alright, now let’s get the hell out of here.”_ The lieutenant was more than done from this hopeless mission.  

The pirates never tailed them like he had thought, the reason behind it was too crushing for Lt. Grieg to come in terms with. But to keep himself going, he swore on his life that he would get the kids to safe grounds, no matter what it took.

When they arrived to the outpost, the lieutenant was asked of a brief report of what had happened, and after that they were connected to their branch, where their base’s commander was informed of the situation. He was told that the children were to be taken to a temporary place, until The Headquarters came to a decision.

When things came to a settlement, he gathered his men and they returned to their base. Only two weeks later did the lieutenant find out what a horrible move that was, and just how gullible he was.

It turned out that the order of saving the locals was not a general procedure like the lieutenant made it out to be, no… It was a way of the higher ups to glorify false achievements and hide the real, horrendous and inhumane acts the government was known to issue in case of inconvenience. More so, how it always managed to benefit off the circumstances, no matter how dire they were.

Oh what an awful act of heroism on his part, because of that, he doomed a whole generation of innocent, young souls.

Now a Lieutenant Commander and working in The Headquarters, Grieg stared at his desk with vacant eyes. He snapped out of it when his office was barged into by his mentor and superior, Monkey D. Garp.

 _“Grieg! Are you slacking off again?”_ The older scolded half-heartedly and kicked the door close behind him.

 _“No, I was just thinking.”_ The other murmured, a trace of frown ghosting over his features.

Garp looked him over for a second and proceeded to take a seat, his charismatic aura was replaced with a much more serious one.

 _“You know that whatever happened at that time was nothing you could have done to prevent or change, you made the right call to save the children if even for a simple period of time.”_ The vice admiral’s tone was genuine.

Grieg smiled bitterly and recalled when he was still a newly recruited cadet, Garp would use that same tone whenever he gave them a more than usual hard time during training. How simple those days were, he thought.

The younger rubbed his face and let out a deep sigh.

_“I get that, but only if I had known their true intentions from the start, I wouldn’t have taken those kids along.”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who read the manga, what did you think of the new chapter?  
> Do let me know if you have any theories. 
> 
> Feedback is appreciated.


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